Posts made by a substitute teacher who has worked for Park County School District 1 in the past sparked concern at the Sept. 16 board meeting. Comment on the issue was not allowed due to the board’s public comment policies.

Courtesy photo

Political Facebook posts by a substitute teacher, sometimes employed by Park County School District 1, prompted one parent to attempt public comment during the Tuesday, Sept. 16 board meeting with around 10 other parents and community members in attendance in a call for accountability and transparency from the district.

The substitute, who was not school specific, has not worked in Powell schools this year, Superintendent Jay Curtis said, and while he did not have an exact number he said she worked somewhere around 14 days last year.

The substitute, a retired Powell High School teacher, published a series of private Facebook posts — screenshots which were provided to the Tribune — some related to the Sept. 10 assassination of Charlie Kirk. 

The Tribune is not naming the substitute teacher, as her name was not said publicly during the board meeting as it was determined to be a personnel issue.

One post on the same day from the substitute teacher read, “For Real,” with a repost from the account “The Other 98%” below it, which said, “Since the Supreme Court says we can racially profile — does that mean we can talk about how white men are responsible for the VAST majority of school shootings?”

Another post related to Kirk emphasizes the substitute teacher was vaguely familiar with the activist ahead of his death at Utah Valley University: She wrote that she does not think he deserved to die, and wishes peace to his family. She also asks where those outraged by his death were when Democrat legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed in June 2025 and the shooting at Evergreen High School in Colorado, on the same day as Kirk’s killing as well as in the past.

“Why is gun violence an issue now and not in all the years leading up to someone who mattered to you,” the post ends.

Paving the way

Prior to Tuesday’s meeting, middle school parent Eliza Hurst sent an email Friday to trustees Dusty Paul and Ben Borcher along with screenshots of the substitute’s Facebook use, explaining the situation that had unfolded online and the substitute’s comments regarding race and Charlie Kirk. She noted the substitute later removed some of the comments and posted a statement sending regards to Kirk’s family. Hurst said her concerns and request for the substitute’s removal is not about political disagreements, but the employee’s conduct and “professional fitness.” 

While Curtis would not comment on the substitute’s status in the district, he did note that substitutes are not hired by the board. This group of employees is approved by Curtis following an application, background check and proper certifications; they must also perform well in the position “and it’s tough enough to find people to fill those roles,” he said. Terminations and resignations of subs do not go to the board for approval.

With audience members that included City Councilman Troy Bray (who did not speak), Hurst said she would like to bring forward concerns regarding an educator in the district. 

Her inability to speak at the meeting boiled down to two factors: the board’s public comment guidelines stipulate comments must relate to agenda items, and individual students’ issues and comments regarding personnel are not allowed. The guidelines are printed on the back of every meeting agenda and available at the door. 

The board takes public comments but there is no legal requirement, Curtis told the Tribune.

However, many public boards in the region allow public comment on any topic, whether it’s on the agenda or not. 

“[School boards] take public input because it’s the right thing to do, number one, and they do want to hear what they have to say. There are just some boundaries,” Curtis said.

Boards are within their rights to establish these boundaries and while the guidelines vary, it’s typical to place a time limit on public comment and not allow individuals to speak on personnel issues, Curtis said, adding, “if you can imagine the pandemonium that could occur as a result of that.”

Issues regarding personnel are typically discussed in executive sessions outside of the public eye under Wyoming law, where personnel is listed as a valid reason to make the discussion private.

“I do not want to give our public the impression that we do not want to hear from them and that we don’t care about what they have to say,” Curtis said. “I feel that it’s really important that when people have grievances or concerns that they are able to share those, but it is also really important that we follow our policies and procedures on that.”

Meeting in public

At the meeting, Hurst attempted to comment but was stopped by Board Chair Kim Dillivan, when it became clear her comments were off-agenda and had to deal with personnel, leading to debate over allowable public comment.

“I’m sorry but this is a public meeting and you are supposed to listen to anything the constituents have to say in regard to this,” Powell resident Venus Bontadelli said while seated at the meeting.

Wyoming’s open meeting law states that unless otherwise stipulated, for example in an executive session, all meetings of an agency’s governing body, “public meetings, open to the public at all times, except as otherwise provided.”

When Hurst asked when the issue could be addressed, Dillivan responded they can speak to board members at any time. It appeared Dillivan may not have finished his sentence.

“Right now is any time, not all of us have time away from our jobs, and I think you need to respectfully listen,” Bontadelli said. “You don’t have to answer, but respectfully listening is a very good idea, especially when our children are at risk.” 

Bontadelli then told Hurst she could speak, “Feel free to go. They could try to remove you by security, but you have the right to speak; legally, you have the right.”

Curtis then reminded Dillivan and those in attendance at the meeting that a common misconception is that the meeting is a public meeting, “it is actually not a public meeting, it is a meeting held in public for the purposes of transparency,” he said, “It is a matter of legal issue that we do not discuss personnel in public.”

Following the meeting Curtis told the Tribune a public meeting is held to hear from the public and “a meeting held in public for the purposes of transparency is a business meeting.”

For community members who wish to address personnel issues, Dillivan told the Tribune, he recommends stakeholders follow the chain of command for a substitute teacher or similar staffer — begin with the principal. If the issue is not resolved he recommends contacting Curtis and then himself. Neither Curtis nor Dillivan were contacted ahead of time.

As a substitute is not a regular employee, “you don’t know when or if they’re ever going to be around your children,” it would be appropriate to come to Curtis, he said, also noting that he was not contacted regarding Hurst’s concerns.

“I truly believe that there is a process for dealing with these things … ,” Dillivan said, adding, “The school board having its meeting in public, that is not the appropriate place to deal with these kinds of issues. I firmly believe that.”

At the meeting Dillivan held firm on not hearing the personnel issue, eventually moving on to the next agenda item after reminding Hurst and Bontadelli the board had business to attend to. He then asked Hurst to sit down.

Upon completion of the board’s business they entered an executive session regarding personnel and possible litigation scheduled prior to the night’s events. Dillivan would not say if the meeting pertained to the substitute in question.

Dillivan added he checked his emails following the meeting and had not received correspondence from the group.

Community concerns

The concerned community members were asked by Paul to stay following the meeting. He and trustees Ben Borcher, Beau Fulton and Tracy Morris discussed the group’s concerns and avenues with which they could make their voices heard, outside of the administration building following the closing of the meeting.

Hurst had decided to bring her concerns to the board following the substitute teacher’s pattern of activity, she told the Tribune.

“She started to post about white men and they’re responsible, and we should focus on this rather than on Charlie Kirk’s death,” Hurst said, referencing the post about white males making the majority of mass shooters. The post was made the day of Kirk’s death but the substitute does not explicitly reference the activist’s shooting outside of responding to a commenter who questioned the timing of the post.

Hurst shared a screenshot of a comment that read “live by the sword die by the sword has never seemed so literal,” that the substitute liked. It is unclear what post the comment was made on or if it still exists.

Knowing the individual subbed for the district is what prompted her to send the email to trustees, Hurst said. Her daughter, a middle school student, has not had the substitute in class, Hurst said, but could in two years, something she is concerned about. She was unaware if the individual subbed this year but does know she was in the classroom a year ago. 

Hurst would have liked to address the issue in front of the board and share the screenshots she had taken of the Facebook interactions at the meeting, she said, at one point noting the way she was talked to during the school board meeting was condescending.

“I believe that people have the right to see with their own eyes something and make an opinion,” Hurst said. “ I can say my opinion as well. I’m free to do that, but I want people to have proof or something in their hands, to look at it, hear me out, and then they can make their own opinion.”

With 70% of her property taxes going to public schools she should not be silenced in a public meeting, said Desiré Kobbe, a fellow parent who attended the meeting.

“Nobody should. It is not fair. It doesn’t bring us any respect, any value. It just makes us [angry]. We don’t need more anger,” Kobbe said.” We need peace, but we need leaders that are going to be held accountable. We need people that are going to hear all sides.”

That’s what Charlie Kirk would do, she added, he would talk to people regardless of politics. She said he is the example of what’s needed. What happened with the school board is not, she said.

While the timeline is unclear, Curtis told the Tribune the PCSD1 board may look at adapting their public comment guidelines to community needs while noting it would likely stay at the same point in the meeting to allow for student recognition and due to the routine nature of the consent agenda.

“I think our district might review those rules and say, ‘what do we want that to look like?’ Because, frankly, that didn’t feel good last night, like the way that went,” Curtis said. “You don’t want people to feel like you don’t want to hear what they say. There’s a time and a place for everything. And that was not the time or place to talk about personnel.”

To access the electronic school board visit: pcsd1.org/page/board-of-trustees.

To access the school’s policies  visit: pcsd1.org/o/park-county-1/page/district-policies.

PCSD1 social media policy

In PCSD1’s wide ranging policy on social networks, the policy addresses personal social media use and notes the district respects employees’ rights to use the platforms in their personal time, while they are “held to the same professional standards in their public use of social media and other electronic communications as they are for any other public conduct.” 

“Opinions expressed by staff on a social networking website have the potential to be disseminated far beyond the speaker’s desire or intention, and could undermine the public perception of fitness of the individual to educate students, and thus undermine teaching effectiveness,” the policy reads, “In this way, the effect of the expression and publication of such opinions could potentially lead to disciplinary action being taken against the staff member.”

If social media use affects the ability to perform their duties they could face disciplinary action that includes termination. Employees are advised to use security settings to restrict students from accessing their personal information on these sites and from accessing materials that aren’t age appropriate, the policy says.

“There is a very tricky balance between what is responsible use of social media and the First Amendment … [employees] do not check their First Amendment rights at the door when they come to work here, and if the First Amendment wins, that’s good for everybody,” Superintendent Jay Curtis said. “I don’t think anyone would argue that people should not have that right now, where it becomes different … is if your social media posts somehow impact your ability to do your job in the district, if your social media posts somehow create mistrust in the community that you are able to do your job, or if your social media posts impact students in some way, shape or form.”

He added he will always fight for someone’s First Amendment rights but is also in favor of people being accountable for the things they say.