Georgia
Lawsuit filed after Georgia teacher on indefinite suspension over comments on Charlie Kirk’s death
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A federal lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a Georgia teacher who was put on an indefinite suspension and urged to resign after posting comments following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
On Monday, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Georgia Association of Educators (GAE) filed the lawsuit on Michelle Mickens’ behalf against her employer, the Oglethorpe County School System.
SPLC said Mickens was “exercising her First Amendment rights” by posting a quote from the slain political activist on her personal Facebook page and participating in an online discussion with her friends who commented on it.
She criticized Kirk’s opinion on gun control but condemned political violence and “articulated her hope for a safer world,” SPLC said in a press release.
“This case is about resisting the growing attempts to exert ideological control over public education,” Michael Tafelski, interim deputy legal director for SPLC, said. “Ms. Mickens is being targeted not because she violated any policy or harmed students, but because her personal views — expressed outside of the classroom — don’t align with those in power.”
The SPLC claimed the Oglethorpe County School System is trying to terminate “solely for engaging in constitutionally protected speech” that did not disrupt the school.
“We know that the attacks on public education are unrelenting, and we must stand together to speak for our students, colleagues and our profession. GAE supports and defends educators’ right to off-duty expressive activity without fear of retaliation,” Mike McGonigle, GAE’s General Counsel/Legal Services Director, said. “GAE is the only organization that continues to stand up and speak for students, educators, and public education.”
Both SPLC and GAE said they are looking to have Mickens’ job restored and “protect the rights of all educators against censorship and intimidation.”
The lawsuit states another teacher was hired to take over Mickens’ class, despite her termination not being official.
In a statement, Oglethorpe County School System Superintendent Beverley Levine said the district is aware of the lawsuit.
“While many of the facts stated in the suit and the press statements on plaintiff’s behalf are inaccurate or incomplete, having been sued in federal court, the district prefers to litigate the issues in that forum and not in the press or in the public,” Levine said. “The district is confident that it will prevail in defending against this litigation.”
Return to Atlanta News First for updates on this developing story.
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Georgia
Falcons address biggest hole with Georgia prospect in new mock draft
For a long time it seemed the Atlanta Falcons were purposefully avoiding drafting prospects from Georgia for some reason. There are signs that’s changing with the new front office regime, though. Last month Kirby Smart commented on how his program is developing a relationship with the Falcons.
That’s a good sign for Atlanta’s defensive front-seven, because that group needs all the help they can get and it’s where the Bulldogs have thrived the most in recent years. Jalon Walker is helping to reinvigorate their pass rush, and more help could be on the way soon.
In a new five-round mock draft from NFL.com, the Falcons hit up that local resource again and take Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller at No. 48 overall.
At the combine Miller checked in at 6-foot-4, 321 pounds with 33″ arms and 10″ hands. Here’s the highlight reel.
Like most nose tackle prospects, Miller’s college production (four sacks, 11.5 TFL) doesn’t exactly jump off the page.
However, the scouting report on Miller mentions both upper and lower body power in addition to good balance. Those traits should make him a solid nose tackle at the next level.
If the Falcons do end up drafting Miller, he should project to be starting up front in Week 1.
Georgia
6-foot alligator delays Delta flight taking off from Georgia airport
A Delta flight was delayed after a massive alligator plopped itself on the taxiway of a Georgia airport, according to reports.
Recently unearthed air traffic control audio captured the unusual moment the Delta pilot noticed the lazing gator at the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport on the evening of March 20, WDSU reported.
“There’s a six-foot gator sitting on his two legs,” the pilot said over the radio.
“Six foot?” the tower controller asked, to which the pilot replied, “Yeah. He’s about six foot.”
“He just laid down,” the pilot added.
Airport crew responded and safely removed the alligator to the airport, then relocated it outside the airport grounds, the outlet reported.
No one was injured during the incident, authorities added. It’s unclear how the alligator managed to wander into the airport unchecked.
Flight operations resumed shortly after the reptile was removed, the outlet said.
Georgia
Passover ad featuring challah sparks backlash for Georgia Senate candidate | The Jerusalem Post
A Georgia Democratic candidate for the state Senate came under ridicule over the weekend after a Passover ad published in the Atlanta Jewish Times reportedly featured challah, a leavened bread traditionally avoided during the holiday. The controversy spread on Saturday after Atlanta Journal-Constitution political reporter Greg Bluestein posted about the ad on X.
Nathalie Kanani is running for Georgia State Senate District 14, and has publicly described herself as a candidate focused on affordability, healthcare, housing, education, and workers’ issues. In a LinkedIn post published about a month ago, she said she had officially qualified to run for the seat.
The issue appears to have stemmed from a holiday greeting in the Atlanta Jewish Times Passover edition, which was published this past week and included a wide range of Passover-themed community content and messages.
Bluestein wrote on X that a Georgia Senate candidate’s Passover ad in that week’s Atlanta Jewish Times “features challah,” adding, “It’s the thought that counts, I guess.” His post helped push the item into broader political and Jewish social media circles.
The mockery built quickly. Raw Story, which aggregated the reaction, quoted conservative commentator Jonah Goldberg joking that the image was like serving a “Yom Kippur BLT sandwich,” while progressive commentator Molly Jong-Fast called it “incredible” and added that “Veep was a documentary.” The same report also cited Georgia state Rep. Esther Panitch criticizing the mistake and noting that, as the only Jewish member of the Georgia General Assembly, she was available for “holiday consults.”
During Passover, Jews avoid hametz (leavened grain products), and bread is among the clearest examples of foods excluded from the holiday. Matzah, the flat unleavened bread eaten during Passover, is one of the most recognizable symbols of the festival.
That made challah, a braided bread commonly associated with Shabbat and other Jewish occasions, an especially awkward choice for a Passover greeting. For many Jewish readers, it signaled a basic misunderstanding of one of Judaism’s best-known observances.
As of Sunday, Kanani’s campaign had not issued any publicly visible response in the sources reviewed for this report.
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