Tenure Meets Tinfoil Hat in Maine Meltdown
The boundaries between politics, public discourse, and professional conduct were obliterated this week when JoAnna St. Germain, a high school English teacher in Waterville, Maine, unleashed an incendiary Facebook tirade that called for the deaths of President Donald Trump and his supporters.
Her remarks, laced with profanity and a staggering disregard for both legality and basic decency, have triggered a full-blown investigation by school officials and possibly federal authorities.
In one post, St. Germain went as far as invoking the Secret Service to “take out every single person who supports Trump’s illegal, immoral, unconstitutional acts.”
She later insisted that she wasn’t calling for an assassination—because in her view, Trump is “not a legitimate president.” That legal hairsplitting won’t likely earn her leniency from law enforcement, nor will it play well in the court of public opinion.
#BREAKING: A Maine female high school teacher is under investigation by federal authorities after calling on the Secret Service to assassinate President Trump
⁰#Waterville | #Maine
⁰A high school English teacher in Waterville, Maine identified as JoAnna St. Germain is being… pic.twitter.com/MdXErb8qjL— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) May 3, 2025
To be clear, this wasn’t a slip of the tongue or an emotional outburst followed by an apology. St. Germain doubled down.
“I mean that s–t,” she wrote. “I’ll die on that hill, happily.” She even acknowledged the probable consequence of termination, saying she posted “knowing I’d likely lose my job and benefits.” That level of premeditation strips away any plausible deniability. This wasn’t careless—it was calculated.
In response, Superintendent Peter Hallen issued a calm but serious statement, assuring the public that Waterville Public Schools had “taken steps to ensure everyone’s safety” while working with authorities to conduct a thorough investigation.
His priority, he stressed, is the safety of students and staff. As of now, no disciplinary action has been announced, but the pressure is mounting—and fast.
St. Germain’s response? More defiance. She reposted Hallen’s statement and told critics, “F–k you.” Not exactly a measured defense from someone entrusted with shaping young minds.