Missouri lawmakers and a conservative political action committee are offering students in the Francis Howell School District at least $1,000 to start a chapter of Turning Point USA at the district's high schools.
Francis Howell Families, the PAC that has organized in recent years to elect conservative-leaning members to the school board, posted the announcement to its website on Saturday.
It states the PAC is working with Congressman Bob Onder and Missouri State Senators Adam Schnelting and Nick Schroer to offer the gift to the students to help establish a chapter of the group.
“Francis Howell Families along with our local elected officials believe [Turning Point USA] offers our nation’s youth a positive vision of faith, freedom, and love of country,” the announcement states.
The district, the school board and Francis Howell Families could not be reached immediately for comment.
The announcement comes after Charlie Kirk, the right-wing activist and CEO of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed at an event in Utah earlier this month.
A self-championed advocate for conservative values and free speech and a close ally of President Donald Trump, Kirk often spoke out against abortion, discussions of gender and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the workplace.
Kirk’s killing has sparked a conversation around free speech as there are reports of employees being disciplined, including teachers, who shared commentary about his work on their personal social media accounts.
A Wentzville School District teacher was placed on leave after screenshots of her posts alluding to Kirk’s killing on social media were circulated by Onder and Schroer, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
A high school teacher in Columbia in the Metro East resigned after receiving backlash for posting on her Facebook page about Kirk’s death, according to the Belleville News-Democrat.
Gabriel James, a former Columbia High School student, spoke out in support of Mary Adams during a school board meeting on Thursday.
“Ms. Adams was truly an invaluable educator, and her absence will be sorely felt,” James said.
In May, a representative from Turning Point USA was denied the opportunity to speak during the public comments portion of Francis Howell’s monthly school board meeting.
Board President Steven Blair said the board has a policy that only permits members of the public who have a direct relationship to the school district — including parents, students, and community members — to speak during the public comment period.
According to its website, Turning Point USA has over 800 chapters at college campuses across the country and has seen an uptick in requests to start new chapters since Kirk’s killing.
The Francis Howell School District has been marred in political controversy and culture war-related issues since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most recently, school board member Jane Puszkar, who was endorsed by Francis Howell Families, hired a consultant to review the district’s library books for “age-appropriate content,” without board or district approval.
In April, St. Charles County voters cast out the conservative majority on the school board and installed candidates that were endorsed by Francis Howell Forward, a progressive political action committee.
Francis Howell community members said at the time of the election that the change in leadership was a signal of a desire to move past the culture wars.
During a school board meeting in August, Chief Communications Officer Jennifer Jolls shared feedback gathered from staff, parents and students around school culture and climate as a part of the district’s five-year strategic plan.
“We heard a pretty consistent plea to end the culture wars at Francis Howell, with an understanding that conflict among adults within our community often filters down and impacts students,” Jolls said.
