A former Georgia teacher of the year finalist has filed a federal lawsuit against her school district, saying that she was "unconstitutionally punished" for social media comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

In the complaint, which was filed on Monday, Michelle Mickens claims that she was placed on leave and asked to either resign or be terminated after discussing Kirk's political positions on her private Facebook page.

Mickens, an English teacher at one of Oglethrope County's high schools, argues that she was exercising her First Amendment rights with her comments and that the school district's response was politically motivated retaliation.

Teacher claims Charlie Kirk posts led to retalitation

According to the complaint, Mickens posted a direct quote from Kirk hours after his assassination on her private account, which she claims was only viewable by close friends.

"I think it's worth it. I think it's worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.- Charlie Kirk," the post read.

The post led to a back-and-forth with her followers, where Mickens criticized Kirk but said she was against violence.

"I don't condone violence of any kind, and I certainly don't condone this, but he was a horrible person, a fascist full of hate for anyone who was different," she wrote. "While I'm sad that we live in a country where gun violence is an epidemic, the world is a bit safer without him. I didn't respect him at all, and he's part of the hatred and vitriolic language we hear so much now. I pray that without him."

The next day, Mickens says she was called to the office, where she was informed the school has received a complaint from someone over the post. She later learned from a friend that a former classmate had taken a screenshot of her post and shared it publicly on X, calling on readers to contact the principal at her school.

When she later spoke to the principal and the school superintendent, Mickens says they suggested she delete the post and issue an apology, but she told them that she wanted to consult her attorney before responding. The next school week, she was asked to remain home and found out her access to school emails had been removed.

The lawsuit claims that other employees of the school district have not been disciplined for pro-Charlie Kirk views, including several teachers who Mickens claims have posted photos wearing pro-Kirk T-shirts at school.

Lawsuit demands teacher get her job back

Mickens had worked in Georgia high schools for 24 years and had been a finalist for the 2022 Georgia Teacher of the Year. The complaint says that she had never received a formal complaint about her professional conduct before this incident.

The Southern Poverty Law Center and the Georgia Association of Educators are supporting Mickens in the federal lawsuit, which names the Oglethorpe County School System and Superintendent Beverly Levine as defendants.

"This case is about resisting the growing attempts to exert ideological control over public education," said Michael Tafelski, the SPLC's interim deputy legal director. "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. This unconstitutional censorship of protected speech endangers a healthy democracy. We look forward to defending Ms. Mickens to ensure she can continue serving her students, as she has for decades, without fear of politically motivated retaliation."

The lawsuit is asking the court to restore Micken's job and remove any reference to policy violations connected with the incident, as well as damages. 

The Cobb County School District placed three teachers on leave over social media posts that school officials said appeared to celebrate Kirk's shooting. Other educators across the country have also been fired or placed on leave in connection with social media posts about Kirk.

A spokesperson for the school district told CBS News Atlanta that officials became aware of the lawsuit on Monday night.

"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," the spokesperson said. "The District is confident that it will prevail in defending against this litigation."