Kansas Department of Education Employee Fired After Social Media Comment on Charlie Kirk's Death
MANHATTAN, Kan. — A Kansas Department of Education employee has been terminated after posting "well deserved" on social media in response to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Katie Allen, who worked as a research analyst in Career, Standards, and Assessment Services at KSDE, is no longer employed with the state agency, according to officials who confirmed her status Tuesday. Allen also serves as vice president of the USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden School Board.
Kirk was fatally shot Sept. 10 while addressing an audience at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, during his American Comeback Tour. Tyler James Robinson, 22, of Washington, Utah, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder and other felony offenses in connection with the killing.
Social Media Response
Allen's comment was made in response to a Facebook post by Courtney Jane Hochman, a candidate for the USD 383 School Board, who had reposted a photo referencing Kirk and paraphrased a 2023 quote from the activist.
Kirk's original quote stated: "I think it's worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the second amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational."
Allen quickly deleted her comment and issued a public apology, saying she made an emotional response while scrolling Facebook and immediately realized her words could be misinterpreted.
"For anyone who was offended by my words, I deeply apologize," Allen wrote in her apology. "That is not who I am or what I believe – which is why I deleted that comment so fast."
Political Response
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson called for Allen's removal from her KSDE position and urged her to resign from the Manhattan-Ogden school board. District 22 Sen. Brad Starnes also called for Allen's resignation from the board and removal from her job.
"Charlie Kirk was murdered for sharing his faith and expressing his political views," Masterson said. "Katie Allen's statement that he deserved to die is absolutely reprehensible."
School Board Position
The USD 383 school board is set to discuss "Board member conduct" during its Wednesday meeting, with the agenda item added Monday.
Under state law, the board cannot simply vote to remove one of its members. Removal would require the formation of a recall committee, then a petition with at least 40% of the total votes cast in the last school board election. In Riley County, that would require 9,275 signatures, based on the 23,189 total votes cast in the last school board race.
Allen was elected to the Manhattan-Ogden school board in 2023 and began her four-year term in 2024. She is a former chair of the Riley County Democrats.
The Kansas Department of Education's director of communications declined to provide a reason for Allen's separation and said there would be no further comment.
Allen holds a doctorate in education and had worked as a research analyst in the state education department's Career, Standards, and Assessment Services division.