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Principal faced threats over Charlie Kirk post she did not make, Wisconsin school says

Mike Stunson, The Kansas City Star on

Published in News & Features

A viral social media post calling slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk a “bigot” was falsely attributed to a Wisconsin elementary school principal, officials say.

The Elkhorn Area School District received 800 voicemails, some including death threats, over the post West Side Elementary School Associate Principal Cynthia Rehberg did not make, Jason Tadlock, superintendent of the Elkhorn Area School District, told WISN.

“She didn’t do anything, she didn’t do anything wrong,” Tadlock told the station.

The since-deleted post was made by Ryan Fournier, a conservative commentator who has been highlighting posts celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Kirk was fatally shot Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University. The accused shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, is in custody.

“Charlie Kirk deserves everything he got,” the comments falsely attributed to Rehberg said. “He was a bigot. Hated women. And was a Christian nationalist - shame on those trying to make him a martyr. You are the problem with this country.”

Tadlock said school officials “quickly” identified that the post was not made on Rehberg’s page, WTMJ reported.

“Somebody took another post, slapped her picture on it, and made it look like it was hers,” Tadlock said, according to the outlet.

Of the hundreds of calls the school received, many called for Rehberg’s firing, school officials said in an email to families.

Other educators have already faced repercussions for posts they have been accused of making.

At Middle Tennessee State University, a professor was fired for saying she had “ZERO sympathy” after Kirk was killed, McClatchy News reported.

The State reported a South Carolina high school teacher was fired for a post he made after Kirk’s death. And in Iowa, a high school teacher was placed on leave after being accused of calling Kirk a “Nazi,” according to McClatchy News.

 

In a statement to WITI, Rehberg called the activity against her “a witch hunt.”

“I understand people are hurting. I understand people are upset,” she said in the statement. “It was a tragedy that we’ve gone through as a country, but it’s still not an excuse to wreck other people’s lives, especially those who are completely innocent.”

Rehberg referred to the false attribution as “malicious,” telling news outlets it has caused her “significant distress.”

“The claims being spread are completely baseless and have led to hateful commentary directed at the Elkhorn Area School District, as well as threats to the safety of my family and myself,” she said in a statement shared by multiple stations. “I am appealing to the public to stop the spread of these lies and the resulting harassment. The threats and hateful rhetoric are not only harmful to me and my family, but also to the entire community of Elkhorn.”

Tadlock said in his letter to families that Rehberg has “no connection” to the person who made the post. He said there will be an “increased police presence” at the school.

“She’s kindhearted, goes out of her way to help kids and families. She doesn’t wear politics on her sleeve,” Tadlock said of Wehberg, according to WTMJ.

Fournier released an additional post early Sept. 15 addressing the false attribution. He did not apologize but said Rehberg did not make the comments.

“Moving forward, we ask that all tips include as many details as possible—along with screenshots and supporting evidence,” he said on Facebook. “We must continue exposing individuals mocking Charlie Kirk’s death, but accuracy is critical.”

Elkhorn is about a 45-mile drive southwest from Milwaukee.

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©2025 The Kansas City Star. Visit at kansascity.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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