Christian Teacher Awarded $95,000 In Lawsuit

September 2, 2022254 views0

Christian Teacher Awarded $95,000 In Lawsuit

2022-09-02T12:31:08+01:00

By Church News

Pamela Ricard, a Christian middle school teacher who refused to refer to a transgender student by their preferred pronouns, leading to her suspension, has been awarded $95,000 (£82,482.32) in a religious freedom lawsuit.The Math teacher from Fort Riley Middle School in Kansas sued the Geary County School District after she was suspended in April 2021, arguing the punishment infringed on her rights to religious freedom.As a devout Christian, Ricard said the school’s policy telling teachers to refer to students by choosing gendered pronouns and names violated her religious rights.At the time, Ricard had two transgender students in her class, neither of whom had authorized the district to disclose their preferred names or pronouns to their parents.District Judge Holly Teeter’s order blocked the school from disciplining Ricard if she revealed the preferred names and pronouns of her transgender students when communicating with their parents.“Plaintiff believes that addressing students one way at school and a different way when speaking to their parents is dishonest,” Teeter’s order said. “Being dishonest violates her sincere religious beliefs.”“Whether the District likes it or not, that constitutional right includes the right of a parent to have an opinion and to have a say in what a minor child is called and by what pronouns they are referred,” Teeter wrote.Ricard was represented by attorneys at the Kansas-based Kriegshauser Ney Law Group and the national Alliance Defending Freedom.Kriegshauser Ney partner Joshua Neysaid, “This case provides straightforward lessons for Kansas school boards: Schools shouldn’t lie to parents and teachers don’t forfeit their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse door ” according to the Daily Mail.As part of the settlement, the district is required to publish a statement that Ricard was in good standing without any disciplinary actions at the time of her retirement, her attorneys said.ALSO READ Brian Houston Returns To Pulpit