Chesterfield School Board member Dot Heffron will resign as of Dec. 31, after criticism of a social media post she made about the killing of Charlie Kirk.

“Call me old fashioned, but I remember when we used to be okay with shooting Nazis,” was posted to the Instagram account carrying Heffron's name, which has since been set to private.

On Sunday, Heffron issued a statement by email.

"The words I shared were wrong, and I take full responsibility for them," she wrote. "I deeply regret the pain that my post has caused. It was never my intention to make light of violence or to suggest that harm to anyone is ever acceptable. As an elected official and as someone entrusted with the responsibility of supporting students, families, and educators, I should have shown better judgment."

She added: "My decision to step aside comes from the same place as my apology: I do not want my mistake to overshadow the vital work happening in our schools or distract from the students, families, and educators who deserve our full attention."

After the initial post, the four other members of the Chesterfield School Board released a joint statement condemning the post and calling on her to resign.

The board accepted that resignation on Sunday.

"The School Board will begin the process to appoint an interim School Board representative for the Clover Hill District until a special election can be held to fill the position for the remainder of Mrs. Heffron’s term, which runs through Dec. 31, 2027," the board wrote in a statement.

"We have been made aware that Mrs. Heffron and her family, and others in our school division who have made comments on social media, have received threats. Let us be clear: Threats of violence and death have no place in civil discourse. We can passionately disagree without resorting to acts that do not model the behavior we want for our community."

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin also asked Heffron to resign in his own social media post.

Alana Hartman-Hall, dean of students at Clover Hill High School, has also been critiqued for comments allegedly made on social media.

"When you promote violence and advocate for a percentage of teachers and students to be sacrificed to school shootings ... You reap what you sow," the post reads.

Chesterfield Public Schools released a statement that read, in part, "The school division has been made aware of certain social media posts made by staff members that do not reflect the values and expectations of Chesterfield County Public Schools," while adding that state laws prohibit the release of more information by the district.

Contact Michael Phillips at mphillips@richmonder.org.