A high school teacher in upstate New York has been sidelined after doing something apparently unforgivable in modern education: helping students start a conservative club.
Jennifer Fasulo, a Spanish teacher at Charles W. Baker High School in Baldwinsville, was placed on paid administrative leave in late January after she agreed to advise a Club America chapter — the high school division of Turning Point USA, founded by conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
According to reports, Fasulo was put on leave just weeks after she began helping students organize the club. The Baldwinsville Central School District confirmed the action in a February 10 letter to parents and staff, stating that a staff member had been placed on leave while “a matter is under review.”
The district emphasized that it could not comment on personnel issues but insisted it remains committed to a “safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment.” Translation: inclusive, as long as the politics line up.
Students weren’t buying it. They launched a petition claiming Fasulo is being targeted for her “spiritual and political beliefs” and called for her reinstatement. The petition, which gathered more than 2,300 signatures, says she is pending termination and argues that no educator should be punished for personal beliefs.
At a February 9 school board meeting, Club America President Jerry Dygert said Fasulo “is being targeted not because of her performance, but for her political beliefs.” Another student told the board that classmates were confused by her absence and described her as a mentor with “unmatched” wisdom and compassion.
Not everyone was supportive. Some parents reportedly demanded Fasulo’s permanent removal, with one calling Turning Point USA “terrifying.” Another went even further, labeling the club an “organized hate group” and bizarrely comparing it to the Ku Klux Klan. Because nothing says reasonable debate like equating a student political club with historical evil.
Republican state Senate candidate Caleb Slater, who knows Fasulo through church, said she’s being used as a warning sign to discourage conservative clubs from forming in schools already filled with pride flags and activist messaging.
“These are students who asked for this organization to be founded, not parents or teachers,” Slater said.
Under school rules, students must have a faculty adviser to start a recognized club — which means Fasulo was simply following procedure. Her reward? Paid leave and a possible pink slip.
In a system that proudly flies political symbols in hallways, it seems the real problem isn’t “inclusivity” — it’s letting students hear more than one side. And judging by the backlash, that might be the most dangerous lesson of all.
