West Cook News

GOP activist William Mueller is castigating the Homer Community Consolidated School District 33C over its hiring of an art teacher accused who has been accused of making several disturbing posts on social media. Elementary school art teacher Kris Martin’s self-disclosed struggles with ‘mania and psychosis’ prompted fears of potential violence and sparked a call for swift action to remove the individual from the school.

“If the school board or this publication thinks this persons actions should be ‘discussed’ or ‘considered’ then truly this community has lost its mind,” Mueller told West Cook News. “He should never even had the opportunity to apply.” 

The teacher’s 2018 and 2020 posts, including profanity-laden comments targeting police officers, have ignited outrage and prompted calls for action, particularly from parents with students enrolled in the district.

“@Homer33c hired this individual as an elementary school teacher. He claims to suffer from ‘mania and psychosis’ which can lead him to be ’violent and hurtful,’” Libs of TikTok said in an Aug. 17 post on X, formerly Twitter.

The account linked to Martin’s social media. 

“I HAVE BI POLAR 1 DISORDER WITH MANIA AND PSYCHOSIS!” the post in Martin’s name reads. “This condition has drastically changed my life for better and worse. Because of it I suffer from irrational thought processes which make my fears and anxieties triple. Every day is a battle with my mind to survive and be the best me I can be. I have done things in conditions of psychosis and mania that have been violent and hurtful. But I am NOT my disease. I am ME! And I know ME. And I LOVE ME!”

Another photo posted by LibsofTikTok and attributed to Martin showed a graphic violent still image from a horror movie depicting blood and death.

The American Federation of Teachers represents Martin and will likely represent him should the school seek to remove him from the classroom. The AFT notably played a significant role in influencing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on school reopening guidance during the pandemic, even suggesting specific language for the guidelines, according to emails obtained by the New York Post. 

The emails show collaboration between AFT officials, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky and White House representatives, raising concerns about the influence of the powerful teachers union on scientific guidance and decision-making processes during the pandemic.