TikTok on Charlie Kirk killing led to Hamptons teacher’s firing, lawsuit says

A Westhampton Beach high school music teacher says a TikTok she posted reacting to Charlie Kirk’s death got her suspended — and, not long after, fired.

In a lawsuit filed this week against Westhampton Union Free School District and the Superintendent Carolyn Probst in Suffolk County Supreme Court, Laura Mara claims she was put on leave in September and officially let go in November after the video drew the ire of some parents online.

“We are not celebrating his death. We are responding to his death the way he responded to children getting pew-pewed in schools,” Mara said of the conservative activist’s assassination on her TikTok account. The post was recorded and shared online by parents.

“And that response is, ‘Thoughts and prayers,'” Mara continued. “I guess that’s the price you pay to freely bear arms in the United States of America.”

The complaint says the video was shared on Facebook with the caption: “High school chorus teacher excited about Charlie Kirk’s death.” Parents and others subsequently complained to the district, the filing says.

The next day, Probst penned a letter to Mara, placing her on administrative leave and barring her from the high school campus.

“Effective immediately, you are administratively assigned to home with pay,” the letter reads. “You are not to be on school property or at school events and you shall not engage in any District business until further notice.”

The lawsuit, which notes Mara is homosexual, claims the school district violated New York labor law and state human rights protections. It argues she was targeted for her sexual orientation and for exercising her First Amendment rights outside of school, off district property, and without using any school equipment.

The claim points to prior positive performance evaluations of Mara and asserts that no classroom misconduct was found.

In a Nov. 5 letter responding to Mara’s request for reasons behind the firing recommendation, Probst cited “deficiencies in the areas of professional judgment and appropriate boundaries,” alleging the teacher had “spoken to students during class on topics of a sexual nature,” and “asked a student if they are bisexual,” among other similar allegations.

Mara, who was hired in 2024, and her attorneys call those claims dubious and discriminatory.

“Heterosexual employees who discuss their dating lives or partners were not accused of discussing sexual topics,” the lawsuit says.

Mara is seeking lost wages, emotional distress damages and attorney fees. Her @longislandlesbian TikTok account is no longer active or available for viewing.

After her departure from the school district, she joined the Local 802 — American Federation of Musicians union.

The school district could not be reached for comment. A district spokesperson told Newsday that it does not comment on issues related to litigation.

_{Top: Laura Mara (TikTok)}