Teachers are being targeted for posts made on social media. On September 11th, Kennewick middle school teacher Kyrin Gregory posted this quote, attributed to Mark Twain:
“I have never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.” — Mark Twain.
Some people took grave offense, deciding that the quote must be about Charlie Kirk, even though Gregory never referenced him. Shortly after Gregory’s post, people began rage posting. While no one should celebrate violence or death, did this post actually cross a line?
Kennewick City Council member Brad Beauchamp thought so. Beauchamp posted on social media the same day, after being alerted about Gregory’s post:
“This vile piece of trash is a teacher here in Kennewick. This cannot be tolerated. Only the worst of the worst celebrate the slaughter of another human being. She should not be involved in any children’s learning. Please e-mail schoolboard@ksd.org”
The post was widely shared and commented on, including by members of Moms for Liberty in the Tri-Cities — including Pasco Mayor David Milne’s wife, Nicki Lindberg Milne — who then amplified the post by sharing it. They also began posting the email addresses of the Kennewick School Board and the Principal of Chinook Middle School, asking people to demand that Gregory be fired.
On September 12, the school district sent a letter to families that read in part, “We take reports very seriously and are reviewing the situation thoroughly. Our district has clear policies and procedures in place to address allegations of staff misconduct, and we are committed to ensuring they are followed.”
Gregory has been reportedly removed from her classroom.
Hannah M. is the mother of a 6th grade student in Ms. Gregory’s class. Her son was meeting with the teacher and a counselor at about 11:00am on September 12 when an administrator came into the classroom and asked Ms. Gregory to step out into the hall. Hannah’s son said, ”([Ms. Gregory] seemed totally fine, like nothing seemed off. She didn't seem sick.” The student said that after the administrator came into the room where the three of them were meeting, “the mood shifted. Things felt different.”
The next time Hannah’s son returned to class, Ms. Gregory was gone. Now they have a sub in the classroom, instead. Hannah said they were told the sub would be there for at least three or four weeks.
Hannah has been in contact with Kennewick City Council member Jim Millbauer about filing an ethics complaint against Beauchamp over his comments about Ms. Gregory. And Kennewick Superintendent Lance Hansen has apologized to Hannah, she said: “I've gotten two formal apologies from people in the school district now. [I am] a parent with a child in the classroom that this directly impacts, so it's been frustrating.”
The only response Hannah has gotten from the school board is an email from Gabe Galbraith acknowledging the receipt of her email. But Hannah said that another council member — Micah Valentine — has been contacting people about her, trying to find out information about her politics. According to a mutual friend of Hannah’s, Valentine asked if Hannah was “a radical leftist extremist.”
Hannah said that what is best for her child is Ms. Gregory’s class — a stable, structured routine with a fantastic, caring teacher. And pulling Ms. Gregory so soon into the new school year is hard on her kid, who has been looking forward to being in Ms. Gregory’s class. “We have been aware and excited for this opportunity for him for years,” said Hannah. “It's not just destabilizing for [my child], it's destabilizing for the whole family.”
There is also the risk to the children to consider. Given the rise in gun-related violence in this country (and in our schools), fomenting public outrage about one of our local teachers made Hannah and her family panic. “I was terrified of somebody coming to the school to exact revenge on the kids,” said Hannah. “You know, those thoughts that come to your head as a mother, when their people are so angry and looking for someone to blame.”
Hannah said they would have never seen the post by Ms. Gregory if it wasn’t for people like Brad Beauchamp sharing it.
Kyle B, the parent of a Chinook 8th-grader and an autistic daughter in 4th grade, also contacted us, distressed that Ms. Gregory would no longer be teaching at Chinook Middle School. He said:
I was looking forward to this teacher being my daughter's special ed teacher in two years. There is a community of us parents whose children have autism, and I have interacted with this teacher during open houses. My wife has volunteered with her. We have friends who have children with autism who are currently in her classroom. We know her to be a phenomenal special education teacher. She was given the award of Middle School Teacher of the Year by KSD in 2024.
Ms. Gregory is not the only teacher who has been targeted in this way.
School boards across the country and The Moms for Liberty have targeted teachers (and libraries) for the past several years for teaching supposed ‘Critical Race Theory’ and having inclusive classrooms. We have written about that several times, including the Kennewick School Board going after LGBTQ+ ‘ideology’ and singling out kids that are trans.
We are researching whether teachers in Washington State have contracts that protect speech made on their personal social media. We are also looking further into the ethics inquiry that has been made about Brad Beauchamp for his comments calling Ms. Gregory a “vile piece of trash” — a classic example of using dehumanizing language.
When we spoke with Kyle B, he told us that Beauchamp should have added a disclaimer to his post to make sure people knew that he was speaking as an individual, not as an elected official or spokesperson for the City of Kennewick. But he said it would be even better if Beauchamp hadn’t made a post at all:
I just don't think it's appropriate for a sitting council person to try to organize a social media mob, to exact vigilante justice, to score political points. And I don't think [it's] right trying to get somebody fired because of a post you didn't like.
We will bring you more information as we continue to investigate.
A lifelong resident of Eastern Washington, Dori enjoys the outdoors, her family, and making good trouble. She has worked for many years in broadcasting and reporting and believes in the value of the 4th estate. She is a true community advocate that loves Washington.
