Dear editor:
Charlie Kirk is an American hero. His voice has inspired millions to stand for freedom, faith, and family values. That truth should never be in dispute.
Yet here in Wyoming, Sarah Hummel, Northeast Region President of the Wyoming Education Association (WEA), chose to attack him publicly with venom and disrespect.
She has every right to speak her mind. The First Amendment protects her. But freedom of speech does not mean freedom from accountability.
When you hold a leadership position representing Wyoming educators, your words carry weight. With that privilege comes the duty to act with integrity and respect. Ms. Hummel failed that test.
This isn’t an isolated incident — it reflects a deeper problem inside the WEA.
Representative Rachel Rodriguez-Williams called it out clearly in her recent column: “The Wyoming Education Association has lost its way, prioritizing bureaucratic control over the needs of Wyoming’s students, parents, and teachers.”
She also pointed to a troubling pattern of obstructing educational choice and aligning with divisive, out-of-touch ideologies. She was right.
The WEA has become more focused on politics than on the children of this state. It protects its own power instead of standing up for teachers, students, and parents. Now, its leaders engage in rhetoric that divides instead of unites. That is unacceptable.
Wyoming families deserve better. Our teachers deserve better. And our students — who will one day lead this state—deserve better. Education should be about preparing the next generation with knowledge, skills, and character.
It should not be about political agendas or vilifying conservative leaders who stand for the principles that built Wyoming and America.
This isn’t about censorship — it’s about responsibility. Leadership requires accountability. When a leader uses her platform to sow division and contempt, she forfeits the privilege of representing Wyoming educators.
For that reason, I am calling for the immediate termination of Sarah Hummel. The WEA cannot be taken seriously if it continues to allow leaders who insult the values of Wyoming families.
But this goes beyond one individual. For too long, the WEA has blocked reforms that would give families more choice and teachers more voice. It has acted as if Wyoming belongs to its bureaucracy rather than to its people.
The pattern is clear, and Rachel Rodriguez-Williams was right to sound the alarm.
The Wyoming Freedom Caucus has shown courage in standing up to this union and in defending the values of parents, teachers, and students.
I stand with them. I share their belief that institutions must be held accountable when they fail to serve the people they claim to represent.
Wyoming must not allow organizations like the WEA to weaken the fabric of our state. Our institutions must reflect Wyoming values — accountability, integrity, and respect.
This moment is about more than Sarah Hummel’s words.
It’s about whether Wyoming parents, teachers, and students will allow their institutions to be hijacked by outside agendas, or whether we will insist those institutions return to serving the people.
I know where I stand. I stand with Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, John Bear, the Wyoming Freedom Caucus—and with the people of Wyoming who expect and demand better.
Sincerely,
Reid Rasner, Casper
