Following a teacher’s mockery of Charlie Kirk after his assassination, students at a Rhode Island high school are establishing a Turning Point USA chapter to advocate for conservative principles and unfettered expression on campus.
“The catalyst for me to launch this Turning Point chapter was when a teacher at our school, after Charlie Kirk’s death, created a TikTok expressing his lack of remorse and describing Kirk as a hateful individual,” Brayden Ryan, vice president of the Turning Point USA chapter at Barrington High School in Rhode Island, shared with Fox News Digital in a Tuesday interview.
Shortly after Kirk’s public assassination Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University during his American Comeback Tour, social studies teacher Benjamin Fillo released an online video asserting that Kirk “despised the LGBTQ community” and “hated women’s rights.”
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Fillo, placed on administrative leave following his video, also stated that Kirk “thought his words proved his toughness… What a disgrace. See what happens… Goodbye, Charlie!”
When conservative activist and mother Nicole Solas filed a public records request to examine Fillo’s curriculum, including handouts, assignments, videos, links, resources, guides, worksheets, workbooks, prompts, and emails, Barrington Public Schools quoted her $117,132 to compile the materials. Solas, a mother from a different school district whose children attend private school, was previously sued by the National Education Association Rhode Island (NEARI) for submitting public records requests four years prior.
Ryan, a freshman, noted that initiating the chapter has been “difficult” given the area’s political leanings, but he and fellow students are persevering.
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“We aim to provide a free and safe space for students, particularly conservative students, to voice their personal values, including their religious and political beliefs,” Ryan explained.
Caleb Kaplan, president of the Turning Point USA chapter, informed Fox News Digital that while some have offered support, others have campaigned for Fillo’s reinstatement.
“Out of respect, I won’t name names, but they’ve been campaigning or creating petitions to reinstate the aforementioned teacher,” Kaplan stated.
Kaplan, also a freshman, mentioned that the group strives to address the opposition respectfully.
“We don’t respond to hate with more hate,” Kaplan affirmed. “Instead, we intensify our efforts and seek to attract more members.”
“Barrington High School students are always welcome and encouraged to pursue new clubs that reflect their interests,” Sarah Dell, spokesperson for Barrington School District, told Fox News Digital. “As with all proposed student organizations, there is a process outlined in our student activities protocol. The group of students expressing interest in forming a student Turning Point USA chapter has been provided that information. This is one of about a dozen new proposed student clubs currently moving through the same process.”
Fox News Digital has also contacted Fillo for his comments.
