Washington Elementary Teacher Says “I Don’t Have To Feel Bad” Charlie Kirk Died
A teacher in the Washington Elementary School district (WESD) was placed on paid administrative leave after she was recorded stating she “didn’t have to feel bad” that Turning Point USA CEO Charlie Kirk was assassinated.
A concerned citizen reached out to the School Board Integrity Project and shared the following audio recording:
The woman was identified as Willow Cheadle, a seventh and eighth grade ELA teacher from Sweetwater School.
When a student asked if Cheadle felt bad that (Kirk) died by gun violence and wanted to know if she was glad because he had different (political) views, Cheadle stated:
“I don’t want anyone to die. I never, like, walk around and say, ‘God, I wish that person was dead.’ And especially not with gun violence. Does that make sense? But I do not have to cry because [Kirk] is dead. Does that make sense?...I’m sad for his children, but I don’t have to be sad for him.”
When Cheadle asked if any of the students would be sad if she or any of their classmates died, the students can be heard replying “no” and “probably not.” It’s uncertain what was said before the recording began that may have influenced these responses.
When replying to another student who asked why Cheadle didn’t feel bad, she said:
“Because I have a lot of friends and they, like, voted a certain way, and then they’re like, ‘Why can’t we be friends?’ And I’m like, because you are purposely voting for someone that views me…as lesser than…Like, so that means that you must believe that that’s okay.
I would never vote for anyone to get their rights taken away. I would never vote for anyone to not have control over their own body…So, if we are voting differently in that way, that shows me that we just don’t view people the same. Does that make sense? And I can’t be friends with someone that don’t[sic] view people as people.”
Cheadle’s overuse of the word “like” calls into question her grasp of the English language and whether she is the most qualified candidate for the ELA teaching position. It’s also debatable whether a middle school English class is the appropriate setting and age group to discuss Kirk’s public execution.
According to a post from Twitter account Fighting4AZ, Cheadle has since returned to the classroom after claiming she was “on vacation in California.” WESD school officials have allegedly refused to discuss the matter further. Cheadle is still listed as an active employee on the district website.
It’s worth noting that WESD is the same school district where five board members—Kyle Clayton, Jenni Abbott-Bayardi, Lindsey Peterson, Tamillia Valenzuela, and former member Nikkie Whaley—voted 5-0 to terminate Arizona Christian University’s student-teacher contracts. At that time, all board members expressed anti-Christian views while addressing concerns about ACU’s faith statement on traditional marriage. Three out of the five board members identify as LGBTQ.
The School Board Integrity Project will continue monitoring issues in the Washington Elementary School District. Please send tips and updates to info@rpredu.org.
According to U.S. WorldNews, Washington Elementary School District has 33 schools, 19,328 students enrolled in grades Pre-K through 8th. Only 25% of elementary students and 26% of middle school students are proficient in math. Only 32% of both student populations are proficient in reading. Further breakdown of these statistics can be found on the Arizona Report Card.
