Should Teachers be Allowed to Voice their Political Beliefs in Schools?

In the past few weeks, the debate over free speech for teachers has been reaching a breaking point. In response to Charlie Kirk’s death, public school teachers at Framingham High School and Wachusett Regional High School were suspended. Both teachers had uploaded commentary on social media about Charlie Kirk’s death that the district condemned in sent-home statements. In a similar situation at Sharon High School, the superintendent sent home a statement saying, in response to “The post contains highly inappropriate and insensitive commentary regarding the death of a public figure. We recognize this post has caused distress for members of our school community.”

These local suspensions spark the debate: should teachers be allowed to express their political beliefs publicly? What about online, or even in a classroom? When is it okay for a teacher to express their political beliefs and values, and when do they cross a line?

A former Boston Public Schools teacher and principal stated in an interview, “As soon as they [students, parents, and/or faculty] find out that you support a certain person, then your free speech goes out the window.” Holding conservative views, he explicitly stated that he left the profession because he felt he could not express his values outside the classroom on social media.

Do teachers’ social media platforms have to be monitored? Or is that a violation of free speech? What is important to consider is that whatever a teacher or public figure posts online, students have access to it. Even if a teacher attempts to conceal their private information from students, the growing technologically-advanced society facilitates students’ ability to access that information. When a teacher uploads anything online, they are forced to consider unintended consequences. 

In a perfect world, it would be nice if teachers could express their political opinions freely and without conflict. Maybe some teachers want to express their opinions as a means of educating their students on things they care about. However, we believe that teachers expressing their political stances in school, especially now with a rise in political divisiveness, can quickly become problematic. 

Many students have conflicting beliefs about whether  teachers should or should not share their political beliefs in the classroom.. Though the general consensus seems to be that if a teacher were allowed to share their political beliefs with a class, they should do so in a way that does not force their views upon the students. In addition, teachers’ opinions could be shared, as long as they do not “actively attack or send hatred towards a certain group of people,” states a senior in The Hilltopper. 

On Google Classroom, we put out a question to the Hilltopper staff members. We asked, “Do you think teachers should be allowed to voice their own political beliefs?” This open-ended question led to a mix of answers from the staff members. With the responses of 16 people, six said that teachers should not be allowed to share their opinions in school, while the other ten either said they either should be allowed to, or could within guidelines and reason.  

On the NO side of the argument, students’ shared their perspectives on why teachers sharing their political opinions may bring forth more issues:

“No, I do not think that teachers should voice their own political beliefs in the classroom, as their opinion might influence a student whose opinion might still be developing,” said a sophomore.

“No, because students are entitled to think and feel how they want to politically, without feeling judged by teachers or classmates,” said a senior. 

“In order for all students to feel safe, I think that it makes sense that teachers shouldn't take a divisive stance on politics. It has the potential to make students uncomfortable, although I'm not sure what a good solution would be,” a senior stated. 

“Teachers should provide students with resources to form their own political views rather than just telling them what to believe,” said a freshman.

On the YES side of the matter, students responded with a variety of opinions on what is exactly acceptable:

“I think teachers should be able to voice their own political beliefs, especially because they can serve as a model for meaningful civic engagement. When  political discussions are done thoughtfully and respectfully, they can teach students how to engage with differing views in a civil way, while also reinforcing the value of free speech,” said a junior. 

“Teachers should be allowed to voice their own political beliefs because the First Amendment states that people have the right to freedom of speech,” said a freshman.

“I think that it is important for teachers to be able to speak freely (as long as they give facts/context) for their beliefs. Part of learning is forming your own opinion and taking in different perspectives, and by the time kids are in high school, they are grown up enough to think critically about other people's opinions (including teachers),” said a junior.

No matter how much we believe teachers should be allowed to express their political stances in a school setting, the fact remains that legally, teachers are not allowed to express their political views in school in the state of Massachusetts. In fact, leading up to the 2024 election last year, Needham Public School Superintendent Dr. Gutekanst issued the following statement: 

"The most important thing to remember is that when we are acting in our roles as educators, we cannot use our position, nor can we use our schools or classrooms, to express any form of political speech before, during, or after the school day.  Simply put: Public school employees are not allowed to advocate for a particular political party, person, ballot question, or initiative when we are working in our capacity as educators.” 

Why are these laws in place? Student bodies are inevitably going to consist of individuals with different backgrounds and beliefs. If a teacher holds beliefs different from some of their students, and those views are expressed, it can compromise the mutual respect between a student and teacher. Ultimately, educators are entitled to their opinions, but in order to foster a safe and welcoming environment for all students, it’s crucial that teachers leave their political opinions at home. In an ideal world, teachers would be able to interact with students and have debates on the current political climate and atmosphere. However, politics has become an overly controversial and personal issue in recent years. Students are entitled to their own beliefs and the belief that they can attend school without the possibility of political discomfort and degradation. Therefore, though we find it disheartening, we believe that in today’s politically divided society, teachers expressing their political stances in school can quickly become problematic and controversial.

Taking a step away from the local aspects of this issue and turning to the national level, the loss of free speech of the press is becoming more apparent each day. The Trump administration has been in power for less than a year, but the attack on free speech is continuously evident. For instance, it was announced in July that the popular The Late Show, hosted by Stephen Colbert, would be off air in May 2026. Although the reasons for this decision were cited to be “financial,” the speculation is that Colbert’s show is ending because he has criticized President Trump. 

Similar to the comments made by school teachers in MA, on September 15th, late night TV show Jimmy Kimmel made remarks on the death of Charlie Kirk by stating: "We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it." In addition to this, Kimmel then transitioned to a clip of Trump being interviewed about how he was dealing with Kirk’s death, causing the audience to laugh at how little Trump cared. Two days later, it was announced that ABC would be "indefinitely" pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live off the air. Although his suspension did not last long, the dissipating power  of the first amendment is still being felt. 

Comedians with their chiding jokes and condemning comments towards Trump are often meant to draw laughs, while simultaneously making light of the fact that we may be taking freedom of speech for granted. 

In terms of media, the comedians have been the first to fall, and journalists are taking the next hit. Many reporters at the Pentagon decided to turn their badges in rather than to adhere “to government-imposed restrictions on their work, pushing journalists who cover the American military further from the seat of its power” (AP News). This is just another example, along with many more on local, state and national levels, where freedom of speech verbally or online is being hindered in some way or another. 

While free speech is a necessity for all, we cannot not lose sight of what is appropriate  in certain settings. With politics being so polarized, the line between what is an opinion vs. what is hate is seen very differently between conservatives and liberals. We, The Hilltopper, believe that freedom of speech and the ability to share your opinions is a necessity, yet there is a time in place where it is appropriate to share your values, which is especially necessary for teachers to understand.