A Christian teacher in Kansas has provided yet another example showing how conservatives can use the legal system to fight back against progressives’ attempts to force their ideology regarding gender identity into the classroom.
Last week, Pamela Ricard, a 58-year-old teacher at Fort Riley Middle School won a $95,000 settlement against her school district after she was disciplined for refusing to use a student’s preferred pronouns. They called the settlement a “victory for free speech at public schools.”
The district suspended Ricard in March 2021 for three days due to her refusal to use a student’s preferred pronouns. The leadership warned her that if she continued to “misgender” the student, there would be further disciplinary action.
Even further, the district also compelled Ricard to keep the student’s gender transition a secret from her parents, which is a policy that has been implemented in school districts across the country. She was instructed to use the child’s preferred name in class but her legal name when speaking with the parents.
Ricard was represented by Attorneys with the Alliance for Defending Freedom. Tyson Langhofer, director of ADF’s Center for Academic Freedom said:
“We’re pleased to settle this case favorably on behalf of Pam, and we hope that it will encourage school districts across the country to support the constitutionally protected freedom of teachers to teach and communicate honestly with both children and parents.”