Chicago Elementary School Principal Under Fire for Portraying Teacher Who Mocked Charlie Kirk's Assassination as Victim
Principal Dawn Iles-Gomez of Chicago's Nathan Hale Elementary School has sparked outrage after appearing to defend teacher Lucy Martinez, who was caught on camera mocking the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk during a protest. The principal sent a letter to parents claiming "threats" were made against Martinez but failed to mention her actions or the disciplinary action taken against her.
The viral video shows Martinez making violent hand gestures and yelling "bang, bang" while pretending to pull the trigger in reference to Kirk's murder by a neck shot last month. The clip has garnered tens of millions of views on social media, with many interpreting it as mocking Kirk's death.
Iles-Gomez's letter to parents stated that safety remains her top priority, citing a potential threat against a staff member but failing to provide details about Martinez's actions or the investigation. The Chicago Police Department and CPS Office of Safety and Security have been notified, but Iles-Gomez did not respond to requests for comment.
The incident has raised questions about school administrators' response to incidents of violence and hate speech, as well as their efforts to maintain a safe learning environment for students. Critics argue that Iles-Gomez's response seems more focused on protecting Martinez than ensuring the safety and well-being of her colleagues and students.
Principal Dawn Iles-Gomez of Chicago's Nathan Hale Elementary School has sparked outrage after appearing to defend teacher Lucy Martinez, who was caught on camera mocking the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk during a protest. The principal sent a letter to parents claiming "threats" were made against Martinez but failed to mention her actions or the disciplinary action taken against her.
The viral video shows Martinez making violent hand gestures and yelling "bang, bang" while pretending to pull the trigger in reference to Kirk's murder by a neck shot last month. The clip has garnered tens of millions of views on social media, with many interpreting it as mocking Kirk's death.
Iles-Gomez's letter to parents stated that safety remains her top priority, citing a potential threat against a staff member but failing to provide details about Martinez's actions or the investigation. The Chicago Police Department and CPS Office of Safety and Security have been notified, but Iles-Gomez did not respond to requests for comment.
The incident has raised questions about school administrators' response to incidents of violence and hate speech, as well as their efforts to maintain a safe learning environment for students. Critics argue that Iles-Gomez's response seems more focused on protecting Martinez than ensuring the safety and well-being of her colleagues and students.
they're literally defending some teacher who made fun of someone getting assassinated?! like, i get it, we need to protect our teachers, but not if it means letting them be a jerk to others! 
and yeah, the principal's letter is so sus - she's clearly trying to cover something up. i mean, why didn't she just come out and say that Martinez made a mistake? or better yet, discipline her for what she did?! 
this is actually kinda interesting tho... like, how are schools supposed to deal with these kinds of incidents? 
. I mean, come on, a video of someone making violent hand gestures and pretending to shoot someone? That's not something you just brush off, dude 
. Schools should be places where kids learn to disagree without being violent, not ones where they're encouraged to mock other people's deaths 
.
. It's like she's tryin' to cover somethin' up. And now I'm thinkin', maybe this isn't just about some harmless school prank... maybe there's more to it than meets the eye 
. The fact that she's not even respondin' to comments or questions is suspicious in itself, if you ask me 
. Something fishy is goin' on here...
& what really went down in that video 
safety should be 1st priority 
not just for students but staff too 
gotta take responsibility for what's goin' on in schools 
school admins need to step up & lead by example 
this is just ridiculous! Like, what's next? The principal just covering up for a teacher who's literally mocking someone's death? 
Iles-Gomez needs to get real, fam 
. It's all about optics now - she's trying to spin this as 'threats' were made against Martinez (um, no one saw those threats), rather than owning up to the fact that their teacher was being super insensitive 
. I mean, Lucy Martinez makes a whole video of herself mocking Charlie Kirk's assassination... that's some serious bad behavior right there 
.
. Like, safety is supposed to be top priority, but she's more worried about protecting this teacher than keeping everyone else safe 
. It's like she's trying to create a culture of silence where people feel too scared to speak up when they see something wrong 
.
... it's like they're trying to hide something 
. I don't know what's going on at Nathan Hale Elementary, but it needs to change ASAP 
.