Turning Point USA on Long Island: Renewed interest at colleges, schools after founder Charlie Kirk assassination

Fed up with pandemic-era restrictions and vaccine mandates, Monica Schiraldo in 2022 turned a basement homeschooling endeavor into a full-scale learning hub in Bay Shore.

Kingdom Education Center, a Montessori-based program rooted in Judeo-Christian beliefs, caters to families like Schiraldo's who, she said, were tired of academic policies they felt clashed with their values and were looking for more flexibility and control over what their children were learning.

Last year, Schiraldo found a partner in her efforts in Turning Point USA, becoming the first academic facility in New York State to affiliate with the K-12 educational arm of the conservative organization founded by Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated in September.

“We are Christian and we absolutely loved what Charlie was doing and we wanted to partner up somehow," Schiraldo said during a recent interview, noting she shared Turning Point's support for "two genders" and belief in a biblical creation of the world.

Turning Point — whose founder had been criticized for espousing viewpoints like opposing same-sex marriage and advocating for traditional gender roles — has been launched into the national spotlight since Kirk's killing. The organization, which focused heavily on college and high school students, says it has seen a surge in interest in opening new chapters across the country.

Here on Long Island, a new chapter is expected to open at Stony Brook University in January, according to Sam McGay, treasurer of the university’s Republican club. Farmingdale State College is also reviewing an application to begin a chapter after a prior version dissolved in 2021.

And four additional schools in New York, including Grace Christian Academy in Merrick, are now listed on the site's website as being affiliated with the group's K-12 arm, Turning Point Education, joining Kingdom.

But even while the organization gains new ground, experts said it is unclear whether it will have lasting power, particularly with young people.

"Whether or not a group like that can really shift a generation's politics, it remains to be seen," said Melissa Deckman, author of "The Politics of Generation Z: How the Youngest Voters Will Shape our Democracy."  

'Future Charlies'

Before his death, Kirk hosted a radio show and held nationwide events, engaging in public debates on college campuses that drew a large fan base on social media and beyond. He had found support for his work in the Trump administration and at his memorial service in Arizona, President Donald Trump eulogized Kirk as a “martyr for American freedom."

As an example of Turning Point's influence, the federal Department of Education announced shortly after Kirk's death that it had partnered with the organization and several other conservative groups to help launch civics programming in schools ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary next year.

While Turning Point is perhaps best known for its activity on college campuses, chapters have also been founded at high schools. The group has also started making forays into elementary and middle schools, where it has sought to advance a "Christian, conservative values education."

"We're preparing students to make a difference, to be future Charlies, if you will," Hutz Hertzberg, chief education officer at Turning Point Education, recently said during a webinar promoting their program. 

But Kirk had his detractors, who accused him of intolerance. He publicly called the Civil Rights Act of 1964 a mistake for being “too broadly written,” and has been described as racist, which his organization denies.

Political and educational experts said the Turning Point movement mainly appeals to disillusioned, young white men who have been leaning more Republican as opposed to younger women, who tend to lean more progressive. 

And despite the claims of renewed interest in the group, experts said Kirk was not necessarily embraced on college campuses. A poll conducted Sept. 11-13 by Washington, D.C.-based Generation Lab, which surveyed 1,030 college students nationwide, showed 70% of students disagreed with Kirk’s views while 30% agreed.

While experts said students should have the right to organize Turning Point chapters and engage in civil discourse, some were concerned the Christian ideology espoused by Kirk and his group was being used to shape public policy and public education.

Already, several states across the country have passed laws to display the Ten Commandments in schools. Many of the laws are being challenged in courts.

Erasing the line between church and state is concerning, according to Michael O. Emerson, director of and Chavanne  fellow in religion and public policy at Rice University in Houston. 

"The founders worked pretty hard at this idea of separation of church and state. Their ideal was we will not limit the practice of religion, nor will we as federal government, state governments, support any particular religion, because if we do, we limit the practice of other religions. So that is the concern,"  Emerson said.

Alan Singer, director of social studies education in the department of teaching, learning and technology at Hofstra University, said he believes Kirk was a “brilliant organizer” who tapped into the frustrations of younger Americans, particularly white males who felt they were being displaced and faced worries about employment and cost of living.

“Now for me, that does not make him a Christian martyr or a champion of freedom,” Singer said. “Some of his statements about women, nonwhites, immigrants and guns are very disturbing."

Experts said Turning Point's popularity is due, in part, to the millions of dollars in donations it receives from right-wing groups and individuals that makes it a well-oiled machine.

Being active on social media also helped launch Kirk into the public arena, according to Deckman.

“It was, in many ways, very unique, because it was viewed as … sort of the lone conservative organization in a sea of campuses that often trend more liberal in terms of their politics, but it's incredibly well resourced. It's allowed for this interconnection among different campuses," said Deckman, chief executive of the Washington, D.C.-based Public Religion Research Institute. 

Shared values

For Schiraldo, she said Kirk’s messaging reinforced many of her Christian values. 

“We believe in two genders. We believe that children are created perfectly in his image," she said. "We want children to be capable of critical thinking and just all the things that God intended for us to do, the way that our forefathers were taught. This is what we want to bring back to this country."

Schiraldo said her center, which is not an accredited school, does not follow Turning Point's curriculum because it doesn't align with her Montessori program. But she said she donates to Turning Point and receives support and resources from the group. She also directs other homeschooling families to it.

"For the families who were not able to physically be here with us at this campus, we would instruct them to reach out to Turning Point so that they can instruct their families at home ... ," Schiraldo said.

Newsday sought to interview other current Turning Point members, but many either did not respond or declined to comment. A representative for Grace Christian Academy in Merrick, which was recently listed as a Turning Point Education school, confirmed it shares the same values as the group but declined to comment further.

Former Stony Brook University student Umair Sheikh, 22, said he joined a campus chapter of Turning Point in 2021 and was a member until it ended in 2022. Sheikh, a registered Republican, said the group appealed to his anti-establishment streak and natural mistrust of government, even if he didn't agree with all its positions, including its support of Israel. 

"I learned how to debate and converse with people. I had some interesting conversations and tried to change people's minds," Sheikh said. 

"I was more interested in conservative ideology, rather than furthering the interest of a party," he said. While he is no longer a member of the group, he said he would consider rejoining. 

Sheikh said if people view the organization in a negative light, it's because some statements have been misinterpreted.  

"It's people taking things out proportion, like a 20-second clip on Instagram or YouTube or TikTok or whatever, but they don't have the full context," he said.

For him, it was important that Turning Point has a platform on a campus that he felt was more left-leaning.

Jason Rose, a lecturer in Stony Brook's political science department who also serves as a club faculty adviser to college Republicans, college Democrats and others, said he would welcome the group if a new chapter is accepted.

"Democracy is everyone's voice being heard," he said. "If in the free dialogue and free debate, one seems to win over another, then so be it. I have to say, I'm very proud that at Stony Brook, we don't shut people up. We want to hear all those points of views."