By Illinois Review
A Buffalo Grove middle school teacher who faced backlash for her disturbing remarks after Charlie Kirk’s assassination is now opposing efforts to hold a public tribute in his honor just minutes from his hometown.
Carolyn Pinta, a teacher at Twin Groves Middle School, recently shared a Facebook post promoting an online petition against recognizing Kirk in Illinois School District 214. The petition also rejects plans for a public event honoring Kirk and his organization, Turning Point USA.
In her post, Pinta urged others to sign, writing: “Opposing petition that you WILL want to sign, this one AGAINST glorifying Charlie Kirk.”
The middle school teacher has generated national attention on social media – even drawing the attention of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani – after posting comments on Facebook about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk — calling his death “ironic” after a friend remarked that “karma is a b**ch.”
“Mel Smith, listen — the irony is thick, right?” commented Carolyn Pinta. The middle school teacher went on to write that the now deceased Kirk “believed in sacrificing a few souls each year to keep his Second Amendment rights.”
In an earlier comment on the same thread, Pinta compared Kirk’s events to early Nazi rallies after another friend remarked about having “nightmares about thousands of young people showing up to listen to him.”
“Sylvia Renteria, yes, like the young men in uniforms at a rally in the ’30s,” replied the Twin Groves Middle School teacher.
Since Charlie Kirk’s assassination on September 10 as he addressed thousands of college students in Utah, dozens of people – including journalists, educators, academic staff, a Nasdaq employee and a radio producer – have been fired or suspended for social media posts about his killing.
American Airlines also confirmed it had removed two pilots from service after they were caught celebrating Kirk’s death.
The U.S. Department of War has likewise announced that military and civilian personnel who celebrate or mock Kirk’s killing will face termination.
On Friday, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., submitted a formal request to the U.S. Department of Education to cut off federal funding to schools and districts that fail to hold teachers and staff accountable for celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
“As the public mourns the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk, unfortunately some far-left teachers, professors, and administrative personnel at elementary, secondary, and post-secondary institutions across the country have seen fit to celebrate or make light of the horrific assassination — and even to excuse or justify political violence in America,” Mace wrote.
She continued: “We ask you, as Secretary of Education, to review and terminate federal assistance to any elementary, secondary, or post-secondary institution that fails to take administrative action or impose discipline.”
The suspect in Kirk’s murder has been identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who reportedly lived with a transgender partner who was in the process of transitioning from male to female. According to reports, the partner is cooperating with law enforcement and had no knowledge of any plan to assassinate Kirk.
In addition to her role at Twin Groves Middle School, Pinta also manages her family’s nonprofit, The Pinta Pride Project, which advocates for LGBTQIA rights.
Thus far, school officials have not issued a response to Pinta’s inflammatory remarks.
