Some Sumner County parents protest with empty desks on Charlie Kirk Day

Some Sumner County families opted to keep their children home from school on Oct. 14 – a day the school district recognized as Charlie Kirk Day.

The school board announced via Facebook that the “Charlie Kirk Day of Peaceful Discourse” would include no special assemblies or presentations. Rather, the day was meant to inspire thoughtful discussion among residents, according to the statement.

Still, some parents, like Ryan Thomas, took issue with the school board declaring this day without any input from families. So he kept his two daughters home from school.

“If you are going to choose something for my children, without any input from me or the community, I don’t want to make you feel like that’s acceptable,” Thomas told WPLN News.

He and other parents wanted a way to send a message to the board.

“So, what can we do that won’t be violent and destructive? Keep your kids home for a day,” he said. “Let those empty seats and those empty lockers be representative of parents speaking out.”

Kirk was the founder of Turning Point, USA – a political organization designed to rally young conservatives. He regularly toured college campuses to debate college students and was fatally shot during one of his debates in Utah on September 10.

Thomas rallied others via Facebook by commenting on groups focused on families in the area. He then created an online event called: “Stand for Civility. Sumner students stay home”, which has 160 members.

He suspects other families feel similarly but haven’t joined for fear of being ostracized in the mostly conservative county. Some people there may see opting out of Charlie Kirk Day as indifference to Kirk’s death, but Thomas says that’s not the case.

Hilary Lounder, co-organizer for Sumner Indivisible, also kept her children home from school on Charlie Kirk Day.

She told WPLN News that she doesn’t understand the school board’s reasoning for dedicating Kirk’s birthday to peaceful discourse but also stating that nothing special will occur.

“If you want to make today about civil discourse then wouldn’t you encourage teachers to talk about debate and civil ways to do it?”

Lounder says Charlie Kirk Day is supposed to be celebrated each year going forward but she hopes the board will reconsider after getting community feedback.