A Michigan parent filed a federal lawsuit against her school district, alleging it caused her termination over her social media posts advocating for school reopenings.
Elena Dinverno accused leaders in the Oakland County School District of infringing on her First Amendment rights in a civil lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Detroit on Monday.
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The mother of two reportedly belonged to some conservative groups on Facebook and criticized the school district’s COVID-19 closures online.
“My client was nothing but polite and respectful online,” said Dinverno’s attorney, Deborah Gordon, according to Click on Detroit.
Someone from the district, during the fall of 2020, contacted Dinverno’s employer, Blake’s Hard Cider Co., where she worked as a marketing director, and said she had launched threats against the district, the suit alleged.
Dinverno was asked about her posts by her human resources manager and was later fired even after she had attempted to clarify the contents of her posts in a letter to her employer’s leadership, she said.
The board also contacted the employers of other parents who posted online content, expressing a similar sentiment, according to Detroit News.
Dinverno’s suit seeks damages for past and future economic and noneconomic harm and an injunction against the district restricting any kind of retaliation against the plaintiff.
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Lori Grein, a spokeswoman for the Rochester Community Schools, called the allegations in the suit “false and unfounded” but declined to comment further on pending litigation.
“We have all wanted the same thing during this once-in-a-century pandemic – to get our children back to in-person instruction with as much of a normal routine as possible – but we had to do so in a safe and healthy way that protected our students, teachers, staff and families, including parents and grandparents,” Grein told the Washington Examiner.
