Tennessee teacher asks judge to lift “no contact” ban following Charlie Kirk-related suspension

A Williamson County teacher is suing the school district for violating her First Amendment rights following her suspension over a social media post about Charlie Kirk. Now, she’s asking a judge to stop the district from preventing her from going on school grounds or speaking with students and teachers.

Emily Orbison took to her social media following the Sept. 10 shooting death of conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk. On her private Instagram account, she posted a story that included a quote from Kirk, stating that in order to preserve the Second Amendment, some gun deaths are “worth it” and “rational.”

Orbison followed up Kirk’s quote by detailing the difficulties of teaching amid the constant threat of school shootings. She mentioned parents asking: “What happens when they get shot?” amidst arguments about students’ cell phones. The rationale behind cell phones at schools? The need to assess whether a student in the hallway might be trapped during a school shooting.

She concluded her post by saying, “Don’t mourn his death. It’s just the price of doing business. Completely rational.”

The conservative news site, The Federalist, saw the post and published an article claiming that Orbison mocked Kirk’s death – calling her post “hateful.”

On Sept. 13, Claire Reeves, a Williamson County School board member reposted The Federalist article on her Facebook account and called Orbison’s post “deeply troubling” before adding, “Let me be clear: this matter will be taken seriously and addressed promptly,” the statement read. “Our students, families, and community deserve respect and professionalism from those entrusted to teach.”

Sen. Marsha Blackburn also took to the social media site, “X” calling for Orbison’s immediate firing.

On Sept. 15, Jason Golden, Superintendent of Williamson County Schools, sent Orbison a letter stating that she was suspended without pay while the district investigated if her actions violated the teacher code of ethics.

Per her suspension, she’s no longer permitted to be on the campus of any Williamson County Schools property, attend any school events or communicate with any students and faculty without authorization.

Orbison has a five-year-old daughter who is in kindergarten at a Williamson County school. Court records show that she said a human resources investigator informed her that the “no contact” prohibition applied not only to her role as a teacher but as a mother as well.

In a motion filed Monday morning, Orbison asked a judge to issue a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction that forces Williamson County Schools to end the prohibition that prevents her from going into her daughter’s school, speaking with her daughter’s classmates and teachers, or participating in school events.

The suspended teacher said that she’s a very involved parent and the prohibition has caused her to miss many events in the last few weeks including a training for parent-reader volunteers, the school’s fall festival and her daughter’s first school book fair.

She had to get permission to attend a parent-teacher conference via video as she was not allowed to do so in person. Additionally, she said that not being able to interact with her daughter’s school friends has negatively impacted the kindergartener’s social life, causing her disappointment.

In Orbison’s original complaint, she clarified that her social media post was not meant to suggest that Kirk’s death was “rational.” Rather, she said it was a satirical critique of Kirk’s own beliefs about gun deaths.