Former Kansas middle school math teacher wins settlement after a dispute about the teachers treatment of transgender students. Christian teacher Pamela Ricard’s lawyer announced yesterday that she won $95,000 in damages and legal fees in a settlement with Geary County.
The dispute came as Ricard reportedly had two transgender students in her class and went against school policy by outing them to their parents. Ricard claims that respecting her students preferred pronouns goes against her religious beliefs and that barring her from outing them to their parents compromises her first amendment rights.
The decision by the district judge Holly Teeter blocks the school from disciplining Ricard if she reveals students’ preferred pronouns to parents. “Plaintiff believes that addressing students one way at school and a different way when speaking to their parents is dishonest,” the judge’s order said. “Being dishonest violates her sincere religious beliefs.”
Picard also argued that “to refer to a student by a gendered, non-binary, or plural pronoun, or salutation, or other gendered language that is different from the student’s biological sex” goes against her religious beliefs.
While the school district argued that it isn’t a teachers place to “out” a student, the Donald Trump appointed district judge argued that not doing so interferes with parental rights.