Ron DeSantis has spent years cleaning up Florida's government schools.
He's seen firsthand how radical leftists operate in the classroom.
And Ron DeSantis exposed one ugly truth about teachers that left parents stunned.
The costume controversy that revealed something bigger
Arizona math teachers at Cienega High School wore bloody t-shirts with "Problem Solved" written across them for Halloween.
The timing couldn't have been worse.
Charlie Kirk was assassinated just weeks earlier in September, shot in the neck by a sniper while speaking at Utah Valley University.
Photos of the teachers in their blood-splattered shirts went viral instantly.
Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet posted the image calling for the teachers to be fired.¹
"Concerned parents just sent us this image of what's believed to be teachers in @vailschools in Tuscon, Arizona mocking Charlie's murder with costumes that read 'Problem Solved' and blood down the left side of their shirts," Kolvet wrote. "They deserve to be famous, and fired."²
Ron DeSantis saw the photos and spoke up about what should concern every parent.
"It's been really disturbing to see teachers across the country glorifying a murder just because they disagreed with the victim," DeSantis wrote.³
The Florida Governor knows exactly what parents are dealing with.
School district scrambled with damage control
Vail School District Superintendent John Carruth rushed out a statement claiming the shirts were "math-themed Halloween costumes" unrelated to Kirk's assassination.⁴
Carruth said the teachers wore the same costumes the previous year.⁵
Some photos from 2024 did surface showing similar shirts.⁶
But DeSantis wasn't buying the excuse completely.
"Here is the explanation from the school district re: the bloody shirts," DeSantis posted. "Some have cast doubt on this explanation, but people can read it and decide for themselves."⁷
And he's right to be skeptical.
The shirts showed fake blood running down the left side of the chest, exactly where Kirk was shot.⁸
The "Problem Solved" message plastered across bloody shirts sent an unmistakable signal, whether the teachers admit it or not.
Even if these specific teachers wore the costumes before Kirk's death, they made the decision to wear them again after a conservative icon was murdered.
That shows a stunning lack of judgment at best and callous indifference at worst.
DeSantis has been holding teachers accountable since Kirk's assassination
DeSantis hasn't been sitting idle while teachers across America celebrated Kirk's murder on social media.
In September, immediately after Kirk's assassination, Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas sent letters to school superintendents making clear that teachers who glorified the killing could lose their jobs and teaching certificates.⁹
DeSantis backed up his Education Commissioner completely.
"It is sad that we've seen a number of teachers across America celebrate Charlie Kirk's murder," DeSantis said, praising Kamoutsas for "bringing accountability."¹⁰
At least four teachers in Osceola County were placed under investigation for social media posts about Kirk's death.¹¹
One Clay County teacher wrote Kirk was "one less evil person on this planet."¹²
DeSantis explained why parents should care about teachers who celebrate political assassinations.
"Just as a dad of young kids, I would not want my kids in a classroom being taught by a teacher who thought it was fit to revel in the assassination of a young father of two," DeSantis said. "I don't think that's appropriate."¹³
He's absolutely right.
The ACLU of Florida complained about DeSantis protecting children from teachers who glorify murder, claiming it violated First Amendment rights.¹⁴
But parents understand what the ACLU refuses to acknowledge.
Teachers have massive influence over children in their classrooms.
Nobody wants their kids being taught by someone who celebrates political violence against conservatives.
The bigger pattern DeSantis is fighting
These Arizona teachers claimed the bloody shirts were innocent math jokes.
Maybe that's true.
But their decision to wear them again after Kirk's assassination shows exactly the kind of tone-deaf arrogance parents are sick of dealing with.
DeSantis has spent his entire governorship fighting teachers unions and radical activists who've turned government schools into indoctrination centers.
He passed the Stop Woke Act to ban Critical Race Theory.
He banned teachers from pushing sexual orientation and gender ideology on young children.
He's made Florida the national leader in protecting parental rights and keeping classrooms focused on education instead of activism.
When DeSantis saw those bloody "Problem Solved" shirts, he recognized the same pattern he's been battling for years.
Teachers who think they know better than parents.
Educators who refuse to show basic respect for conservative values.
School administrators who make excuses instead of holding bad actors accountable.
The Vail School District could have taken the teachers aside privately and explained why wearing those shirts after Kirk's assassination was inappropriate.
Instead, they circled the wagons and defended the teachers publicly.
That tells you everything you need to know about how these schools operate.
DeSantis called it out because someone needs to.
Parents across America are watching teachers celebrate the murder of a young father who dedicated his life to inspiring young conservatives.
The excuse that these were "just math costumes" doesn't cut it anymore.
Not when Kirk's blood was barely dry before teachers started mocking his death.
DeSantis has shown the courage to stand up for parents and hold teachers accountable when school districts won't.
That's exactly the kind of leadership America needs.
¹ Andrew Kolvet, post on X, November 1, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ron DeSantis, post on X, November 1, 2025.
⁴ John Carruth, "Statement Regarding Teachers' Halloween Costumes," Vail School District Facebook, November 2, 2025.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Washington Examiner, "Arizona school under fire for teachers' bloody shirt costume many claimed mocked Charlie Kirk's murder," November 3, 2025.
⁷ Ron DeSantis, post on X, November 1, 2025.
⁸ Newsweek, "Ron DeSantis Amplifies False Claim About Math Teachers' Halloween Costumes," November 2, 2025.
⁹ WLRN, "DeSantis administration targeting teachers, officials who criticize activist Charlie Kirk after his murder," September 12, 2025.
¹⁰ Ibid.
¹¹ Ibid.
¹² Ibid.
¹³ WUSF, "DeSantis supports firing teachers, nurses and others over Charlie Kirk social posts," September 17, 2025.
¹⁴ Ibid.
