A former Knoxville Community School District special education associate has filed a lawsuit after she was allegedly fired over a social media post she wrote about Charlie Kirk after his assassination.

Stacey Sumpter, a former special education associate, sued Knoxville Community School District and its superintendent, Cassi Pearson, after she was fired on Sept. 12, 2025.

While off duty on the day Kirk was assassinated, Sept. 10, 2025, Sumpter wrote a post on her personal Facebook that drew the ire of community members.

«Normally I would say Auf wider sehen; but since that technically means ‘til I see you again’… So since I never wish to see you again, to you; I say goodbye,» she wrote, according to the complaint. The comment was made in response to a photo with a list titled «Things to remember about Charlie Kirk» followed by a list of claims against the slain activist.

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Her attorneys argue that while the assassination dominated headlines and was the subject of widespread debate, Sumpter’s statement was «a personal, private expression of her viewpoint.» They added that her comment «did not threaten anyone, did not incite imminent unlawful action or violence, and was not directed at any member of the school community or broader community.» Furthermore, they noted that the post did not mention where Sumpter worked and did not connect her to the school as it did not occur during work hours or a classroom and was not made with school resources.

The complaint alleges that on Sept. 11, 2025, «community members contacted the district demanding punishment for the content of Ms. Sumpter’s speech.» The former educator’s attorneys noted that she attended work that day as usual and the post was not mentioned.

That day, according to the complaint, «Principal Jory Houser called Ms. Sumpter into his office over lunch and notified her that the District had been receiving complaints about the viewpoint expressed in her post.» While her attorneys say that she «finished the school day without disruption,» Sumpter allegedly received a call from Houser that evening informing her that she was being suspended while the district «investigated» the situation. Sumpter was informed the next morning that she was fired.

A supporter attends a vigil in memory of conservative activist Charlie Kirk who was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University, outside the headquarters of Turning Point USA in Phoenix, Ariz., Sept.19, 2025.

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According to the complaint, Pearson wrote Sumpter a letter informing her that the «‘language used in the post is not respectful and conveys hatred’ and that her employment with the district was being ‘terminated immediately’ because of the Facebook post.»

In response to an email from Fox News Digital, Pearson said the district does not comment on pending litigation.

Sumpter’s attorneys say that since her firing, she had been denied the due process promised to her in the district’s policies. The former educator was allegedly not given notice of her potential termination or the opportunity to defend herself.

«The Defendants transformed a moment of public debate into an employment crisis for Ms. Sumpter. Instead of respecting her right as a citizen to comment on political events of the utmost public interest or even respecting her right to due process to present her side of the story, they chose to silence and punish her,» the complaint reads.

A tribute to Charlie Kirk is shown on the Jumbotron before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, in Bristol, Tennessee. (Wade Payne/AP )

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Attorneys for Sumpter say the district not only violated its own policies, but also the Constitution. They allege that Sumpter’s firing constitutes a violation of her First Amendment rights, as she was speaking as a private citizen and not as part of her duties at the school.

Sumpter is not the first Iowa educator to sue after being fired over Kirk-related comments. 

A fired teacher from Oskaloosa and a teacher on leave from Creston have also sued their districts, according to The Des Moines Register. The outlet said that the Creston teacher on leave is expecting to be fired.

Former Oskaloosa teacher Mattew Kargol sued after he was fired for posting «1 Nazi Down» following Kirk’s assassination. The complaint, which was published by Oskaloosa News, describes the comment as «rhetorical hyperbole about a widely reported public event.»

In October, Creston teacher Melisa Crook sued her district after she was put on leave over a post in which she called Kirk a «terrible human being,» according to The Des Moines Register. She added that «I do not wish death on anyone, but him not being here is a blessing.» Crook also clarified later that she did not condone violence.

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A judge later approved her request to block the district from terminating her employment. However, The Des Moines Register noted that the court has yet to rule on a longer-term preliminary injunction.

Fox News Digital reached out to Sumpter’s attorneys for comment. 

New images released by Russia’s defense ministry show North Korean troops clearing mines in the war-ravaged Kursk region in western Russia, the latest sign of deepening military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.

North Korean soldiers are seen handling detection equipment, receiving instructions from Russian engineers and singing patriotic songs before beginning their work. A Russian commander with the call sign «Veles» said, «They’re great lads, they learn quickly, listen attentively and take notes.» Another commander, «Lesnik,» said the North Koreans were operating «on an equal level with my sappers, carrying out the same tasks as my guys.»

According to Reuters, Russia says the North Korean deployment follows last year’s fighting that helped repel a major Ukrainian incursion into the western Kursk region. South Korean, Ukrainian and Western sources told Reuters that North Korea sent about 14,000 troops under a mutual defense pact and that more than 6,000 were killed. The battlefield casualty numbers could not be independently verified.

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The Russian defense ministry channel Zvezda claims that the new demining unit was «created and sent to the Kursk region by order of Commander-in-Chief Kim Jong Un.» The channel said North Korean engineers «arrived in the Kursk region already experienced in carrying out missions in their homeland» and then «received extensive additional training by the Engineering Troops of the Russian Armed Forces.»

In the images released by the Russian defense ministry, Kim Jong Un’s sappers begin each operation by venerating the North Korean flag, describing it as a sign of their readiness «to carry out any order from the Supreme Leader.» The Russian defense ministry claims Russian instructors taught them to handle «the latest NATO and Ukrainian mines» and to counter drones. 

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Footage released by Moscow shows North Korean sappers using Russian demining equipment in the war-scarred Kursk region (East to West News Agency)

North Korean engineers now reportedly use Russian robotic demining platforms such as the Stalker and Uran-6.

The East to West News Agency reported that the first of thousands of North Korean military engineers have begun clearing explosives in the region, describing the mission as aimed at reducing the risk to Russian personnel. Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, has also said North Korea is deploying 6,000 engineers to Russia.

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un toast during a reception at the Mongnangwan Reception House in Pyongyang on June 19, 2024. Putin enjoyed a red carpet welcome, a military ceremony and an embrace from North Korea’s Kim Jong Un during a state visit to Pyongyang where they both pledged to forge closer ties. (Getty Images)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that out of up to 12,000 North Koreans sent to support Russia’s war effort, «their losses are more than 4,000. I think two-thirds have died.» Fox News Digital could not independently confirm casualty figures.

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North Korean troops sweeping minefields left behind in the Kursk region after months of fighting. (East to West News Agency)

Russian military outlet Krasnaya Zvezda reported that Russian and North Korean teams are confronting a «previously unseen density» of anti-tank and antipersonnel mines allegedly left by Ukrainian forces, adding that many of the devices were manufactured by NATO members. Reuters could not independently verify battlefield conditions.

According to the outlet, 37 of the 64 settlements in the Bolshesoldatsky district remain closed to civilians because of mines. The report also said the sappers continue to come under Ukrainian artillery and drone fire, which Reuters was also unable to confirm.

Ukrainian forces stormed into the Kursk region in August 2024, holding parts of the area for months. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in April that Russian troops, supported by North Korean units, had pushed them out.

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Russia openly boasts about using North Korean soldiers for demining in its war-hit Kursk region.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said last month that the countries’ military cooperation would «advance non-stop,» Reuters reported.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Un evento de inundación que en 2022 se consideró excepcional en las Maldivas podría repetirse cada dos o tres años para 2050, según un estudio realizado por científicos del Reino Unido.

Aunque la investigación se centró en las Maldivas, los científicos alertaron que sus conclusiones pueden extenderse a otras islas bajas.

El análisis advierte que el aumento del nivel del mar amenaza la seguridad de las comunidades insulares, ya que episodios como el registrado en la isla de Fiyoaree podrían dejar de ser raros.

El estudio, publicado en la revista Cambridge Prisms: Coastal Futures, señaló que la inundación de 2022 fue la peor desde el tsunami de 2004.

“Las islas de atolón de baja altitud están entre los lugares más vulnerables del planeta debido al aumento del nivel del mar y, cuando se inundan, resulta perturbador y potencialmente peligroso”, afirmó el profesor Gerd Masselink, investigador de la Universidad de Plymouth.

La investigación fue realizada por un equipo de la Universidad de Plymouth y Deltares, un instituto de investigación aplicada de los Países Bajos, bajo la dirección del profesor Masselink y el doctor Robert McCall.

El trabajo forma parte del proyecto ARISE, financiado por el Consejo de Investigación en Ingeniería y Ciencias Físicas del Reino Unido.

Islas como Fiyoaree, en el extremo suroeste del atolón Huvadhoo, representan uno de los puntos más críticos frente al cambio climático.

El estudio parte de la premisa de que las islas bajas son especialmente vulnerables a las inundaciones costeras, ya que su escasa elevación las expone a la subida del mar y a fenómenos extremos.

En 2022, una marejada lejana en el océano Índico coincidió con una marea extraordinariamente alta, lo que provocó inundaciones en 20 islas.

El objetivo principal del estudio fue comprender con precisión la frecuencia y las causas de las inundaciones en las islas de atolón, así como proyectar cómo podrían evolucionar estos episodios en las próximas décadas.

Los científicos buscaron cuantificar el riesgo futuro y aportar herramientas para que los gobiernos puedan anticipar y mitigar los impactos.

El profesor Masselink explicó: “Las islas de atolón de baja altitud están entre los lugares más vulnerables del planeta debido al aumento del nivel del mar y, cuando se inundan, resulta perturbador y potencialmente peligroso”.

Para alcanzar sus objetivos, el equipo realizó observaciones de campo en Fiyoaree en enero y julio de 2022, recogiendo datos sobre la altura de las olas y la extensión de la inundación.

Además, emplearon el modelo computacional XBeach, una herramienta desarrollada por Deltares junto a socios internacionales, que permite simular inundaciones y erosión costera.

Los resultados del modelo se compararon con los datos reales obtenidos en la isla, lo que permitió validar su precisión.

El modelo se aplicó a los 158 eventos de tormenta registrados entre 1990 y 2023. Solo el episodio de julio de 2022 provocó inundaciones con el nivel actual del mar.

Pero el análisis proyecta que, con el aumento previsto del nivel del mar para 2050, nueve tormentas históricas más habrían causado inundaciones similares. Así, lo que hoy ocurre cada 25 años podría suceder cada dos o tres años en el futuro.

El doctor McCall, de Deltares, señaló: “Las naciones insulares de atolón de baja altitud van a enfrentar un riesgo creciente de inundaciones costeras a medida que suba el nivel del mar”.

Además, destacó: “Podemos usar nuestro conocimiento de los procesos que llevan a la inundación para apoyar la selección y el diseño de soluciones de protección, mitigación y adaptación, ayudando a las sociedades a gestionar el riesgo futuro de inundaciones”.

El estudio también revela que las islas pueden elevarse de forma natural cuando las olas depositan arena y escombros de coral sobre su superficie, lo que podría aumentar su resiliencia.

Masselink subrayó: “Nuestro estudio también ha mostrado cómo las olas que pasan sobre una isla pueden depositar arena de coral y escombros en la superficie de la isla, elevando su altura y potencialmente haciéndola más resistente a futuras inundaciones y al aumento del nivel del mar”.

Entre las recomendaciones, los científicos instaron a las autoridades de Maldivas y de otros países insulares a identificar y aplicar estrategias de adaptación costera sin demora.

Enfatizaron en la urgencia de actuar para proteger a las comunidades y la infraestructura ante el aumento del riesgo.

También reconocieron que el modelo no consideró posibles cambios naturales o humanos en las islas durante los próximos 25 años, lo que representa una limitación.

Además, advirtieron que la complejidad del fenómeno requiere más investigaciones para entender completamente la capacidad de adaptación de las islas.

La situación de las islas de atolón frente al aumento del nivel del mar es compleja y la protección de las comunidades y su infraestructura dependerá de estudios continuos y de una acción decidida.