Lucy Martinez works as a K-8 STEM teacher at Nathan Hale Elementary School in Chicago.
She teaches science, technology, engineering, and math to students from kindergarten through eighth grade. Her classroom is in room 323.
According to public records from OpenPayrolls, Lucy Martinez earned $103,839 as a teacher at Nathan Hale School in 2023.
This salary is 64.9 percent higher than the average pay for school employees and 44.7 percent higher than the national average for government employees.
Martinez recently drew strong criticism after a video from a protest went viral.
The video shows her mocking and reenacting the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Kirk was shot and killed on September 10, 2025, during an event at Utah Valley University.
The shooting shocked many people and led to a nationwide manhunt for the shooter.
The incident with Martinez happened at a “No Kings” protest in Chicago.
In the video, she appears to joke about the shooting, which upset many viewers.
Social media users quickly identified her as a teacher and shared her school details.
People posted comments on the school’s accounts, calling for her to be fired. They said her actions set a bad example for children and raised concerns about her role in education.
The backlash grew fast.
Nathan Hale Elementary School took down its website after receiving many complaints.
Some reports claim Martinez lost her job over the comments, but Chicago Public Schools has not confirmed this yet.
Critics argue that teachers should not celebrate violence, even in protest settings.
