Former Hanover High School teacher and current Bourne School Committee member Kari MacRae recently lost her First Amendment federal appeals case against the school district after being fired over her TikTok posts. The United States Court of Appeals documents revealed that MacRae posted six “controversial” memes on TikTok, leading to her termination from Hanover High School. The school district decided that her posts would have a negative impact on student learning.
MacRae’s TikTok videos also sparked calls for her resignation from the school board. In a video posted in May 2021, she expressed her opposition to critical race theory being taught in schools and stated that she would ensure it wouldn’t happen in her town. However, it was her comments about the LGBTQ community that ultimately led to her dismissal.
Despite claiming that her firing violated her free speech rights, the Appeals Court upheld the district’s decision, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a positive and distraction-free learning environment at Hanover High School. Superintendent Matthew Ferron stated that while they respect employees’ First Amendment rights, schools need to be able to dismiss employees within the first 90 days if their actions could disrupt the learning environment.
The court ultimately agreed with the district’s decision, stating that preventing disruption at the school outweighed MacRae’s First Amendment interests. MacRae’s appeal was denied, and the court affirmed the district court’s ruling.
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