Wakulla schools spark debate with ‘Charlie Kirk Day’ proclamation
Tallahassee Democrat | By Alaijah Brown | September 16, 2025
‘This is not about partisanism,’ Superintendent Richard Myhre said.
The Wakulla public school system has officially proclaimed Oct. 14 to be “Charlie Kirk Day of Peaceful Civic Discourse” after the conservative political activist was assassinated, leaving many in mourning – and others conflicted.
The Wakulla County School Board unanimously approved the proclamation at its Sept. 15 meeting. Superintendent Richard Myhre made the recommendation to the board.
“This is not about partisanism,” Myhre said.
“As constitutional officers, we are sworn to uphold the Constitution and provide the highest quality education we possibly can for all children of our community. This horrendous assassination has shaken many, and I believe in my heart this action shows our resolve to address the issue in the most appropriate way possible — education. That is our expertise, and I know that our students will receive so much healing from their teachers working with them to understand and process these events in an appropriate way.”
Kirk, a 31-year-old conservative activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday, Sept. 10, in what Utah’s governor described as a “political assassination.”
On Oct. 14, which is also Kirk’s birthday, Wakulla students will receive “grade-level appropriate, Florida Standards–aligned instruction on the importance of these unalienable rights and the core values of American life,” according to the proclamation.
Wakulla Superintendent Richard Myhre.
A Wakulla native, Myhre previously served as a dean at Crawfordville Elementary, principal at Wakulla Middle and then executive director of “Just Read, Florida!” with the Florida Department of Education.
Myhre previously said he was raised in a “conservative Christian home” while campaigning in 2024. There are 13,615 registered Republican voters in Wakulla County, and 6,286 Democrats – a little over 2 to 1 ratio.
Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios “Stasi” Kamoutsas posted a memo Sept. 11 to all school superintendents saying he was conducting an investigation of “despicable comments” by public school employees on the assassination.
Some disagree, including NAACP Tallahassee branch president Marlon Williams-Clark, who wrote in a social media post on Sept. 15. “The Wakulla County School Board has disgraced itself and betrayed its students by proclaiming a ‘Charlie Kirk Day,’ ” he said.
The board “chose to honor a man who was not a figure of peace or respectful discourse, but an unabashed racist who mocked Black people, demeaned women, vilified LGBTQ+ communities, and showed no compassion for children murdered in our schools,” he added.
“To celebrate him is to spit in the face of justice, equality, and every family who sends their child into a Wakulla County classroom with the hope of safety and dignity.”
Williams-Clark, who said his Facebook posts represent his personal opinion and not that of organizations he’s affiliated with, is calling for the proclamation to be rescinded. He cited some of Kirk’s beliefs, including opinions on feminism, race and same sex-relationships.
“These are not misquotes or slips of the tongue. These are his values. This is who he was. And when the Wakulla County School Board named a day for Charlie Kirk, they endorsed those values,” he said.
“… Wakulla County Schools have created a hostile learning environment by elevating a man who made it his business to degrade others. Families should consider every option – including legal action – to hold this district accountable for its insult to justice, to history, and to our children.”
