Pamela Ricard, who was banned from teaching for 3 days by Geary County Schools in Kansas last year after she declined to use a student’s transgender preferred pronouns, has now resigned from her career as a teacher. Ricard is 58 years old.
Ricard filed a lawsuit against the school system after she was disciplined for addressing a student who was labeled female at birth using the girl’s legal and registered last names. Ricard contended that the administration at the school requested that she use the chosen pronouns of her students in the classroom and that she was instructed to avoid using such words when she was addressing the parents. More on the story here.
Confronting someone with such dishonesty went against her Christian principles. In the end, Ricard reached a settlement for the amount of $95,000.
“No school system can ever end up forcing teaching staff to purposely deceive family members or start engaging in any speech that infringes on their religious beliefs,” ADF Chief Advisers Tyson Langhofer declared in a statement released by the organization. “No school board should ever force educators to participate in whatsoever speech that contravenes one‘s deeply held religious beliefs.”
“We are glad to have reached a favorable settlement in this matter on Pam’s behalf, and we trust that it will inspire school districts around the country to respect the freedom guaranteed by the Constitution for educators to educate and communicate honestly for both students and parents.”