College of the Sequoias terminated the employment of part-time instructor Shaynon Scheidt for “off-color inappropriate comments” in a classroom following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

COS spokeswoman Lauren Fishback, who made the announcement, said the termination came after video surfaced showing Scheidt making the remarks during a biology class the evening after Kirk was gunned down at a Utah university.

“I hope everyone of his family dies, and their children, and their grandchildren, and their grandchildren, and their grandchildren to eternity,” Scheidt apparently says in a video recording taken by one of his students and posted on Instagram.

“We also had additional student complaints beyond the video,” Fishback said, adding that “at least a half a dozen or more” students shared the same complaint about Scheidt’s comments.

Although the termination was announced on Sept. 16, college leaders made the decision four days earlier, Fishback said.

“We just had to follow some legal protocol to make sure that we were in compliance,” she said. “On Sept. 12th, our human resources, along with our college leadership got together to discuss what the plan was because this person is a part-time faculty, they also have a union, and they have a union contract. So, we had to make sure that whatever our action plan was or is, that we were following appropriate protocol based on their contract as well.”

COS placed the instructor on administrative leave, and at the Sept. 12 meeting, COS human resources notified Scheidt that he was immediately being placed on administrative leave.

“College of the Sequoias is aware that one of its part-time faculty members made inappropriate comments surrounding Charlie Kirk’s tragic passing,” COS announced in an online posting following the Sept. 12 meeting. “Human resources along with senior management is following appropriate district protocol to address the concerns. As of Sept. 12th, the part-time faculty has been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation, and a full-time faculty has taken over that course.”

Scheidt was considered a part-time instructor at COS because he only taught one biology course. Scheidt also taught at Madera Community College and Fresno City College. Last week, State Center Community College District put Scheidt on a leave of absence, according to a spokesperson with the district.

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This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: College of the Sequoias professor fired after Charlie Kirk comments
Reporting by Steve Pastis, Visalia Times-Delta / Visalia Times-Delta. GV Wire contributed to this reporting.
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