OSKALOOSA, Iowa — An Oskaloosa art teacher who was fired for a post made on social media following the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk is suing the school district, alleging the move violates his constitutional rights.

During a special meeting Wednesday night, the Oskaloosa Community School District voted to terminate the contract of Matthew Kargol following a public outcry over posts he made on social media after the September 10 shooting death of Kirk at a Utah college campus. The post reportedly said, “1 Nazi down.”

On Thursday morning, Kargol filed a federal lawsuit against the school district and Superintendent Michael Fisher, claiming his termination over the posts violated his First Amendment rights.

According to the filing, Kargol published the posts while off the clock on his personal Facebook account, and that the account didn’t identify him as an employee with the district.

“By terminating Mr. Kargol’s employment for the content of his speech, Defendants [the district and Fisher] wielded state power to punish a citizen for expressing his opinion on political issues. Their actions strike at the heart of the First Amendment and chill the exercise of constitutional rights,” the lawsuit alleges.

The district released a statement about the lawsuit on Facebook, which reads:

The District was made aware Thursday morning of a lawsuit filed as Kargol v. Oskaloosa Community School District, No. 4:25-cv-00351, in federal district court. The Board acted on the Superintendent’s recommendation to terminate Mr. Kargol’s employment with the District on Wednesday, September 17. This matter was handled in accordance with applicable federal and state law and Board policy. Because this is both a personnel matter and pending litigation, Oskaloosa Schools cannot provide further comment at this time. Our focus remains on creating safe, healthy, and kind schools that engage all students to embrace the power of learning.

The filing demands that the case go in front of a jury.

You can read the full lawsuit below: