A group of math teachers in Tucson, Arizona, came under fire for their Halloween costumes this weekend. The teachers’ bloodied white t-shirts with the phrase “Problem solved” written across the chest set off alarm bells in conservative media circles, where the outfits looked like a mockery of the late political organizer Charlie Kirk.
A spokesperson for Kirk’s Turning Point USA shared photos of the costumes to a large audience on social media and called for the teachers to be fired.
“Concerned parents just sent us this image of what’s believed to be teachers… mocking Charlie’s murder,” he wrote. “They deserve to be famous, and fired.”
Vail School District Superintendent John Carruth quickly put out a statement denying that the shirts had anything to do with Kirk’s assassination.
“These shirts were worn in reference to solving math problems,” he wrote. “Any reference that these shirts were related to something other than that are simply false and untrue…These shirts were worn both this and last year and were not intended as a reference to any person, event or political issue.”
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Carruth said the uproar was a “hard lesson for all of us that more thought and care need to be taken in these trying times.”
“We are also saddened that this situation has called into question the character of people who truly love children and would put their life on the line to help them,” he said. “Personal attacks or threats against staff are unacceptable and do not reflect the values of our community.”
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