“So they lied?”: Arizona Vail school math teachers' image dressed as “old people” last year emerges online amid Halloween costume controversy clarification

The Arizona-based Vail School District issued a clarification after pictures of math teachers from Cienega High sparked controversy online. 

A group of educators was photographed wearing bloodstained T-shirts with “Problem Solved” written over them for Halloween celebrations. Many on social media linked the outfits with Charlie Kirk’s assassination and accused the teacher of mocking the late Turning Point USA founder.

The posts initially surfaced on the Veil School District’s Facebook page. Another post, attributed to the Vail School District Superintendent John Carruth, clarified that the “shirts were worn in reference to solving math problems.” Carruth also stated that the same outfits “were worn both this year and last year as part of math-themed Halloween costumes.” 

The district superintendent clarified that the T-shirts were not meant to reference any person, event, or political issue. However, @yalligatorgar shared a picture from last year’s Halloween with some teachers dressed as old people. The X user argued that Cienega High teachers might not have worn the bloodstained T-shirts the previous year and wrote: 

“We’re seeing conflicting evidence that the second picture was AI generated as well. Could go either way, although the blood spatter on the shirts is very consistent. Would be hard for AI to accurately reproduce. There’s a lot more digging to do until we get to the bottom of this, but I’ll keep you posted.” 

A user reacted to the picture of teachers dressed as old people and wrote: 

“So they lied? If so heads should roll.” 

Another user reacted:

“We need to get to the bottom of this.” 

Bruh the picture you put with the old people isn’t even the same group of people lol

— Smooth 🎮🎙 (@WhatsUpSmooth) November 2, 2025

Many others questioned the clarification provided by the district superintendent. However, one user pointed out:

"Bruh the picture you put with the old people isn’t even the same group of people lol." 

Another one shared:

"Not even the same school, that's Empire. The sign next to them says 'Rad Raven' and has the Empire School logo." 

Despite the questions raised by @yalligatorgar, there are multiple pictures on the Vail School District’s Facebook page from last year’s Halloween. The photos feature different groups wearing different themed costumes, while the “Problem Solved” images have been removed, likely due to backlash. Furthermore, similar outfits also went on sale last year, per a Pinterest screengrab shared by @tonyposnanski. 

TPUSA spokesperson reacts to the Arizona Vail School District’s clarification after Halloween costume controversy

Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet), a representative of Charlie Kirk’s organization, posted about the “Problem Solved” outfits on Saturday, November 1. He called for the termination of teachers who wore the controversial Halloween costume after concluding that it mocked the late founder of TPUSA. 

UPDATE: Vail Schools said these math teachers wore the same costume last year. I was waiting for confirmation, and it appears they did. I am updating the thread with the image. We've seen enough evil since Charlie's murder that I'd actually be relieved if this isn't another… https://t.co/pXjYiqofep pic.twitter.com/viQJYBsbIZ

— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) November 1, 2025

After John Carruth issued a clarification and apology, Kolvet addressed the same in another X post and shared a picture confirming that the Arizona teachers did wear the costumes last year. Kolvet wrote:

“It's a very weird constume for teachers in general, but after what happened to Charlie, I'm absolutely floored they wore it again.” 

He continued:

“I do not believe for a second that all of them are innocent. Some probably are (and it's for their sake that I'm updating this thread) but I believe others knew exactly what they were doing.”

Kolvet added: 

“The school district's decision to remove the image immediatley after posting shows that anyone with a brain knew how this would be seen.”

While concluding the post, Kolvet noted that educators have been some of the “worst offenders of mocking and celebrating Charlie's assassination.” Amid the backlash, John Carruth spoke with KOLD 13 News and shared his regret over the controversy.

“We shouldn’t have worn them, and we shouldn’t have posted it in retrospec,t and I have deep sympathy and understanding for all people who are victims of violence, including Charlie Kirk and his family.” 

Carruth highlighted: 

“The fact that this photo was taken so out of context and spread so quickly without doing some simple fact-checking has been really harmful to them.” 

According to KOLD 13 News, the Arizona teachers have reportedly received threats over the Halloween costumes that were wrongly linked to Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Despite the clarification, the backlash has continued.