In 2022, I was elected to serve on the Park City School Board. I chose to run because I love our schools and our community; I wanted to do everything I could to build on the good we have and make it better. That commitment has only deepened as I’ve served.
After the recent memorial service for Charlie Kirk, Utah GOP Chair Robert Axson called on all people — regardless of faith — to find the motivation to be better people. He urged us to “build community that will build positivity” so that we might avoid future violent tragedies.
On the surface, this is a call I can support. I believe in building positive action in our community and in our state. But those words ring hollow while his Sept. 10 social media post still stands.
Just after the tragedy, Axson wrote on Instagram: “The hate, violence and evil being peddled by radical extremists has no place in this country! Schools and social media have become breeding grounds for liberal hate. Enough!” When asked to remove the post, he refused.
When a community experiences tragedy, it is both natural and human to respond with grief and even anger. But it is reckless, irresponsible and dangerous for those in positions of power to make public statements that put the safety of our most vulnerable population, our children, at risk. A call for unity is welcome, but it is meaningless while words that demonize schools and educators remain online, accessible and amplified.
This rhetoric is not harmless. Research shows that hostile, threat-framed messaging — especially when amplified through social media — elevates the background risk of ideologically motivated violence.
Every time leaders speak in ways that demonize educators, scapegoat schools or turn learning into a political battlefield, they endanger not just students but also teachers, staff, parent volunteers and school resource officers. No one should be targeted simply for seeking an education or for dedicating their lives to teaching and supporting young people.
The reality is grim. Since Columbine in 1999, there have been more than 400 school shootings in the United States. This year alone, there have been 53. In response, an entire industry has emerged, selling panic buttons, ballistic film, metal detectors and trauma kits to desperate districts. Districts across our state stretch budgets to purchase layers of protection, while state leaders reach for inflammatory rhetoric that creates climates of fear and distrust.
Utah students and educators deserve better. They deserve leaders who speak with compassion, reason and integrity. They deserve schools that are safe, welcoming and free from politicized attacks. Demonizing educators does not “build community.” It divides us, and it distracts from the urgent work of helping children learn, grow and thrive.
As a school board member and a parent, I see daily the extraordinary effort our educators and staff put into supporting students — not just academically, but also socially and emotionally. They do this work under immense pressure, with limited resources, and in an environment that is already fraught with challenges. What they need from leaders is support, not scapegoating. What they need is assurance that their safety, and the safety of their students, is our highest priority.
If we are truly serious about building positive community in the wake of tragedy, we must begin by rejecting rhetoric that fuels division and by embracing words and actions that foster trust, respect and safety. That is how we honor the lives we have lost. That is how we prevent future tragedies. And that is how we fulfill our responsibility to the children and families of Utah.