A Rhode Island school is charging a mom over $100,000 to access the curriculum of a teacher who made light of the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk last month.
Barrington Public Schools told Nicole Solas that it would cost a whopping $117,130.50 for them to comb through the class materials of teacher Benjamin Fillo, who responded to Kirk’s murder by calling him a “piece of garbage.” Solas says that the school is stonewalling her efforts to ensure that Rhode Island taxpayers are not paying for political indoctrination.
“It’s a big slap in the face to parents who implicitly trust their kids with the public education system,” she told The Daily Wire, adding that she was concerned that Fillo’s “political positions and radical ideologies were entering the classroom.”
Solas sent in public records requests to the school district after she flagged a TikTok video showing Fillo attacking Kirk after he was shot on the campus of Utah Valley University. While Solas noted she lives in a different district, she believes that no one’s taxpayer dollars should subsidize political education.
“This is a man who hated the LGBTQ community, who hated women’s rights, who hated democracy, who thought that he was a big man because he went to college campuses and debated college students, thought he proved how tough he was with his words that he studied ahead of time. What a piece of garbage,” Fillo said in the video.
Can Barrington, Rhode Island @bps_ri teacher & NEA Barrington President Benjamin Fillo confirm/deny he made this video saying Charlie Kirk
“thought he proved how tough he was with his words…What a piece of garbage. Look what happens…Bye, Charlie!”
It’s inhumane. pic.twitter.com/KD473ndMMY
— Nicole Solas, Sued by the Teachers Union (@Nicoletta0602) September 11, 2025
After that video went viral, Fillo was placed on leave, and an independent investigation was launched. In the meantime, some students came forward alleging that Fillo has exhibited bias towards conservatives.
Solas then requested that the district provide her with emails sent by Fillo in September mentioning Trump and his curriculum. The district responded that the emails would cost $379.50 and the curriculum would cost $117,130.50.
“It should never cost $117,000 to see the curriculum materials of a single social studies teacher in a public school because those materials are already paid for by the taxpayer,” Solas said. “Barrington Public School District’s exorbitant fee weaponizes Rhode Island’s Access to Public Records Act to block access to public information about what students are being taught instead of simply handing over the materials free of charge.”
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to DailyWire.com/Subscribe to join now.
The Goldwater Institute provided Solas with a lawyer through its pro bono American Freedom Network to assist her in the records request. The lawyer, James McGlone, sent a letter to the school demanding that it revise its payment request or eliminate it altogether. In a letter, McGlone said that public interest in the case would likely lead to a court ordering the school to produce the requested records for free.
Solas said that the fundamental issue at stake was that teachers should not be allowed to create a hostile environment for certain students.
“No matter what you think about Charlie Kirk, no matter what you think about Republican parents or conservatives, it doesn’t matter how bad you think they are, no one deserves to die just because of their point of view,” she said. “The impressionable minds of children in public school can’t learn from someone who doesn’t understand that basic principle.”
.png)
.png)
