Palmerton Area School District officials said Tuesday night they have taken “all appropriate action” in response to a high school teacher’s Facebook post criticizing tributes to conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was recently shot and killed while addressing an audience on the campus of Utah Valley University.

“The Palmerton Area School District is aware of recent social media posts and has already received correspondence from concerned individuals on all sides of this matter,” Superintendent Angela Friebolin said. “The district is confident at this time that all appropriate action has been taken due to legal requirements and all available information. From here, we seek to move forward from this event to continue to provide the best possible education and service to the students of our district.”

The controversy stems from a since-deleted post last week on government teacher Matt Kosciolek’s Facebook page.

“Had no idea how many otherwise normal people think Kirk is a decent human being,” the post states. “Expressing sympathy for the victim of a shooting is one thing; gushing about what a swell guy a professional hate-monger is is another matter entirely.”

Kirk, 31, founded Turning Point USA in 2012 and built it into a conservative youth organization with national influence.

Roy Christman, a Palmerton High School Class of 1960 graduate, said Tuesday that while some students have difficulty with the language of the Constitution, its protections for free expression remain clear. He recited the First Amendment and told the audience it applies in cases like this one.

“You may not punish someone because you don’t like his or her political views expressed on a Facebook page,” Christman said. “You can stand on the street corner with a sign that says, ‘Let’s go Brandon,’ or ‘publish the Epstein files.’ It really is a wonderful document that we can be proud of.”

Palmerton Area High School senior Tyrahnae Byrd also spoke Tuesday in defense of Kosciolek.

“I’ve had Mr. Kosciolek twice, and as a minority in a class full of mostly Caucasian students, I have never felt excluded from his teaching,” she said.

Byrd praised his professionalism and said he kept his personal opinions out of the classroom.

“He never talks about anything except what is in the curriculum,” she added. “You really won’t find someone else who can separate himself from his teachings the way he does. It is honestly amazing.”

She also noted that freedom of expression applied to others in the room. Pointing to a shirt worn by school board member Erin Snyder that read, “I am Charlie,” Byrd said, “I also believe it is her right to wear that shirt because of freedom of speech.”

Friebolin did not elaborate Tuesday on what, if any, punishment Kosciolek received in the wake of the post.

“Is there any school policy about any kind of government or political dialogue on social media, especially since he’s a government teacher?” resident Carolee Boyer asked.

District solicitor Shawn Lochinger responded that the issue falls under the First Amendment. He said courts generally treat this kind of speech as coming from a private citizen addressing a matter of public concern.

“There is more to it, with a balancing test and everything, but at the end of the day, it is speech that’s protected under the First Amendment,” Lochinger said.