Teacher says contract wasn't renewed because he wouldn't use trans students' preferred names
A high school English teacher is suing a Wisconsin school district, alleging it did not renew his contract last year because he refused to use the preferred names of two transgender students.
A high school English teacher is suing a Wisconsin school district, alleging it did not renew his contract last year because he refused to use the preferred names of two transgender students.
Jordan Cernek's federal lawsuit alleges the Argyle School District violated his constitutional and civil rights to be free of religious discrimination and to be able to express himself according to his religious beliefs when it did not renew his contract because he refused to abide by a requirement that teachers use the names or pronouns requested by students.
“The district policy would force me to go against my conviction and commitment to God,” Cernek said in a statement from his lawyers. “I did everything within my power to accommodate the needs of my students without compromising my faith.”
The suit, which argues that the non-renewal was tantamount to firing the teacher, repeatedly cites the 1964 Civil Rights Act and its Title VII section prohibiting workplace discrimination.
Filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin last month, it seeks undisclosed damages, attorney fees and a declaration that the district violated Cernek’s First Amendment rights and his rights to nondiscrimination based on race, religion, sex or national origin.
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