In a troubling incident that has sparked widespread outrage and threats, staff members at Cienega High School in Arizona have been subjected to intense online harassment, including doxxing and death threats, following an inaccurate accusation by a spokesperson for the conservative organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA). The controversy arose after a photo of the high school’s math department wearing Halloween costumes was misrepresented as a mockery of the assassination of TPUSA cofounder Charlie Kirk.
On October 31, members of the math department at Cienega High School wore matching white T-shirts splattered with fake blood, emblazoned with the words “Problem Solved” in bold black lettering. This group photo was posted on the official Facebook page of the Vail School District, which encompasses Cienega High. Importantly, the district’s superintendent, John Carruth, confirmed in a public statement that throughout the school day, no complaints were made by students or parents about the costumes.
However, the situation escalated dramatically the following day. On Saturday, Andrew Kolvet, the executive producer of Charlie Kirk’s show, shared the picture on X (formerly Twitter) with a caption claiming that concerned parents had sent him the image, which he described as teachers “mocking Charlie’s murder.” Kolvet urged that the teachers “deserve to be famous, and fired.” His post implied that the math teachers’ bloodied white T-shirts were intended to resemble the “Freedom” T-shirts worn by Charlie Kirk when he was assassinated during a speaking event at Utah Valley University on September 10.
Kolvet’s post quickly went viral, amassing nearly 10 million views before it was taken down on Tuesday after WIRED reached out to him for comment. The viral nature of the post unleashed a torrent of hostility directed at Cienega High School. The school and its staff became targets of a barrage of social media posts, hateful comments, direct messages, emails, and even at least one voicemail containing racial slurs, explicit threats of violence, and calls for the teachers’ dismissal. Additionally, the personal information of the school staff, including addresses and contact details, was widely shared online — a classic example of doxxing. The school district shared these distressing messages with WIRED to highlight the severity of the harassment.
In response to the escalating situation, the Vail School District swiftly issued a statement on Facebook to clarify the true nature of the costumes and to reject the false narrative. Superintendent John Carruth explained that the costumes were part of a math-themed Halloween costume intended to symbolize “solving tough math problems.” He emphasized that the shirts were never meant to target any individual, event, or political issue. To further support this clarification, the district provided WIRED with an email dated October 31, 2024, which included a picture showing the math department wearing the identical costumes the previous year.
Although Kolvet acknowledged the superintendent’s statement and admitted in a subsequent X post that the costumes had been used the year before, he refused to remove his original post. He described the costumes as “very weird for teachers in general,” but expressed incredulity that the same shirts had been worn again after Kirk’s assassination. Kolvet maintained his skepticism, suggesting that some of the teachers might have been aware of how the costumes could be perceived in light of recent events. He claimed his initial post was made “in good faith” and insisted he was unaware of the death threats until contacted by WIRED. Despite condemning any form of violence or threats, Kolvet held firm in his belief that at least some teachers knowingly chose the costume to evoke Kirk’s assassination.
The controversy also drew attention from prominent public figures. Kolvet’s post was widely shared on X, including by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who later deleted his repost once it became clear the costumes had no connection to Charlie Kirk.
The bulk of the online vitriol targeting Cienega High School originated on Facebook. Shortly after Kolvet’s post went live, users began sharing personally identifiable information of the teachers pictured, including home addresses, phone numbers, and private email addresses. One Facebook user ominously warned the district that the teachers’ information could be placed on the dark web, implying potential harm. Many messages carried explicit threats of violence, with some users taunting the school’s efforts to block offending accounts by promising to continue their harassment. One particularly chilling message threatened, “We’re coming for you,” and claimed to be en route to Tucson