FFLC Secures A Win for Teacher’s Rights in Virginia!

Recently, our Founding Freedoms Law Center (FFLC) secured an important religious liberty victory for a Virginia public school teacher.  FFLC helped the teacher secure a formal accommodation from the school administration based on her religious objections to using biologically inaccurate pronouns for her students, as well as having to undergo interactive teacher training on “LGBTQ+” matters.

Sadly, these types of demands on teachers have become commonplace in Virginia’s public schools, leaving many teachers, but especially those committed to their faith, conflicted about what to do, with many deciding to leave the profession altogether.  But with the right legal help, teachers can push back against these outrageous demands that violate their conscience – not to mention basic biology.

Ironically, this teacher taught biology. At the same time she was teaching her students about the reality of male and female chromosomes in cells, she was being asked to refer to students by opposite-sex names and pronouns.  Thankfully, this teacher got connected with our legal team, who sent a demand letter to the school district and negotiated an accommodation for her so she would not have to choose between her faith and her teaching career.

“We are happy that we were able to get the right outcome for this teacher without having to take the school district to court, which we were prepared to do,” said Josh Hetzler, Legal Counsel for FFLC. “Thankfully, this case can now serve as a model for other teachers around the state facing these same issues.”

According to the teacher: “I'm so grateful for the Founding Freedoms Law Center for helping me get the religious accommodation I needed to continue my passion for teaching our children. My Christian identity is what inspires me and many other public school teachers to excellence in all that we do, but most of all to love and serve the students under our care. Teachers should not have to choose between their job and their core convictions. I'm glad that now, I won't have to.”