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(Iowa) -- Teachers in Iowa celebrating the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on social media should be terminated by their school districts or universities, according to a ranking state lawmaker.
Iowa State Representative Taylor Collins, who chairs the Higher Education Committee, says those social media posts are a clear violation of the code of conduct and are accessible to students.
"These individuals celebrating the death of someone who just wanted to simply publicly debate the issues that are important to our public, these people should be nowhere near our Iowa students or Iowa children. They should hold no position of influence," Collins said.
"In any of these cases, not only should they be quickly dismissed by their school boards. But honestly, they need to be investigated by their Boards of Educational Examiners. Anyone who sick enough to celebrate the murder of a fellow American, an innocent father, should be nowhere near a classroom near our children," added Collins.
Several Iowa school districts say they are investigating reports of inappropriate posts, including a teacher in Oskaloosa placed on administrative leave this week.
One college instructor at Iowa State University is accused of posting on social media that when she heard of Kirk's death and watched the video, she couldn't stop laughing. There's been no statement from ISU about it.
Iowa State House Speaker Pat Grassley says the inappropriate posters cannot continue to hold a position with influence over children. He says if the districts do not take action, the Iowa House Government Oversight Committee will.