A Message from the Head of School & Board

September 11, 2025

On behalf of the Spruce Pine Montessori School Board of Directors and Head of School, we are writing about an incident of concern involving one of our staff members. Yesterday, national political figure Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in Utah. Following that, an SPMS staff member made a public social media comment related to this news that did not align with our school’s values of peace and non-violence. The individual did not make this comment as a representative of SPMS, but it has nevertheless impacted our community, resulting in the need for increased security on our campus.

We take this matter very seriously. Our top priority is safety, including that of the children in our care, their families, our staff, and the wider community. We stand firmly against all violence, including political and gun violence. Our Montessori teachings emphasize peace and non-violence, and these are core values of our school and community. To be clear, SPMS does not endorse, condone, or support any statements by anyone affiliated with SPMS that trivialize or encourage violence.

We are in conversation with staff, families, community members, law enforcement, and our legal counsel to ensure we are doing all we can to address safety concerns.

While we endeavor to be as transparent with you as possible, please understand that specific personnel matters are confidential by law, which impacts what we can and cannot share with you. We can promise you that we take this situation incredibly seriously and are addressing it within our school community, in accordance with legal requirements and our school’s values. We ask that all community members please join with us to work toward deescalation as we prioritize the safety of our community. Questions or concerns may be directed to the Board by emailing boardchair@sprucepinemontessori.org.