Teacher suspended for refusing to use student’s preferred pronouns wins award

Pamela Ricard, a Kansas teacher, gained notoriety recently when she filed a lawsuit against Geary County Schools, her school district, for imposing a three-day suspension on her for refusing to use a student’s preferred pronouns.

Through the New York Post, Ricard provided an explanation of the incident, stating that she had been reprimanded “for addressing a biologically female student by the student’s legal and enrolled last name.”

Despite being biologically female, a kid at Fort Riley Middle School requested to be addressed by a different first name and the pronouns “he” or “him,” Ricard, a teacher there, discovered from the school counselor.

Credit: Getty.

As a compromise, Ricard decided not to use the student’s new preferred first name and instead addressed her as “Miss [legal/enrolled last name]” because of her religious convictions.

As stated in the lawsuit, Ricard was subject to suspension and punishment under general school district regulations concerning staff bullying, even though no specific policy addressed this situation. Following her return from suspension, a new policy was implemented mandating that teachers use the pronouns that students have requested.

In her case, Ricard claimed that this restriction violated her conscience because her Christian convictions were in line with conventional wisdom regarding gender and human nature. According to the lawsuit, Ms. Ricard holds that “sex is fixed in each person from the moment of conception and that it cannot be changed, regardless of an individual person’s feelings, desires, or preferences” and that “God created human beings as either male or female.”

Following federal court proceedings, Ricard was eventually awarded $95,000, according to CBS News. Her attorneys emphasized that she could communicate with parents in a manner consistent with her beliefs and could continue to refrain from using pronouns inconsistent with students’ biological sex.

Credit: Getty.

Additionally, the new policy banned staff from disclosing students’ preferred names and pronouns to parents, a provision also struck down by the court.

The school district has refused to comment on the matter, leaving the status of current policies uncertain.

This settlement raises questions about the balance between accommodating students’ preferences and respecting educators’ religious beliefs, and only serves to highlight just how complex it is to navigate issues related to gender identity and religious freedom.

What did you think about this story? Let us know in the comments!

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