useapen
2024-04-23 08:54:17 UTC
RICHMOND, Va. In a sweeping victory for free speech and religious
freedom, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled Thursday that it would reinstate
a lawsuit alleging the West Point School Board violated a high school
teachers rights protected by Virginia law when it fired him for avoiding
the use of personal pronouns to refer to one of his students.
Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys represent Peter Vlaming, who taught
French in the district for nearly seven years. The West Point School Board
fired Vlaming after he stated he couldnt in good conscience comply with
the superintendents demand that he refer to one of his students using
pronouns inconsistent with the students sex. Vlaming tried to accommodate
the student by consistently using the students new preferred name and by
avoiding the use of pronouns altogether. But school officials ordered him
to stop avoiding the use of pronouns to refer to the student, even when
the student wasnt present, and to start using pronouns inconsistent with
the students sex.
Peter wasnt fired for something he said; he was fired for something he
couldnt say. The Virginia Supreme Court rightly agreed that Peters case
against the school board for violating his rights under the Virginia
Constitution and state law should proceed, said ADF Senior Counsel Chris
Schandevel, who argued before the court on behalf of Vlaming. As a
teacher, Peter was passionate about the subject he taught, was well-liked
by his students, and did his best to accommodate their needs and requests.
But he couldnt in good conscience speak messages that he doesnt believe
to be true, and no school board or government official can punish someone
for that reason.
In its opinion in Vlaming v. West Point School Board, the Virginia Supreme
Court correctly recognized that the Virginia Constitution seeks to
protect diversity of thought, diversity of speech, diversity of religion,
and diversity of opinion. The ruling continued, Absent a truly
compelling reason for doing so, no government committed to these
principles can lawfully coerce its citizens into pledging verbal
allegiance to ideological views that violate their sincerely held
religious beliefs.
The West Point School Board violated that constitutional command when it
tried to force Vlaming to endorse the schools ideological viewpoints on
gender identity, Schandevel explained. And the Virginia Supreme Court
rightly vindicated Vlamings right to stand by his convictions in its
decision.
Shawn Voyles, one of nearly 5,000 attorneys in the ADF Attorney Network,
is serving as co-counsel on Vlamings behalf.
https://adfmedia.org/case/vlaming-v-west-point-school-board
freedom, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled Thursday that it would reinstate
a lawsuit alleging the West Point School Board violated a high school
teachers rights protected by Virginia law when it fired him for avoiding
the use of personal pronouns to refer to one of his students.
Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys represent Peter Vlaming, who taught
French in the district for nearly seven years. The West Point School Board
fired Vlaming after he stated he couldnt in good conscience comply with
the superintendents demand that he refer to one of his students using
pronouns inconsistent with the students sex. Vlaming tried to accommodate
the student by consistently using the students new preferred name and by
avoiding the use of pronouns altogether. But school officials ordered him
to stop avoiding the use of pronouns to refer to the student, even when
the student wasnt present, and to start using pronouns inconsistent with
the students sex.
Peter wasnt fired for something he said; he was fired for something he
couldnt say. The Virginia Supreme Court rightly agreed that Peters case
against the school board for violating his rights under the Virginia
Constitution and state law should proceed, said ADF Senior Counsel Chris
Schandevel, who argued before the court on behalf of Vlaming. As a
teacher, Peter was passionate about the subject he taught, was well-liked
by his students, and did his best to accommodate their needs and requests.
But he couldnt in good conscience speak messages that he doesnt believe
to be true, and no school board or government official can punish someone
for that reason.
In its opinion in Vlaming v. West Point School Board, the Virginia Supreme
Court correctly recognized that the Virginia Constitution seeks to
protect diversity of thought, diversity of speech, diversity of religion,
and diversity of opinion. The ruling continued, Absent a truly
compelling reason for doing so, no government committed to these
principles can lawfully coerce its citizens into pledging verbal
allegiance to ideological views that violate their sincerely held
religious beliefs.
The West Point School Board violated that constitutional command when it
tried to force Vlaming to endorse the schools ideological viewpoints on
gender identity, Schandevel explained. And the Virginia Supreme Court
rightly vindicated Vlamings right to stand by his convictions in its
decision.
Shawn Voyles, one of nearly 5,000 attorneys in the ADF Attorney Network,
is serving as co-counsel on Vlamings behalf.
https://adfmedia.org/case/vlaming-v-west-point-school-board