A Kansas teacher who refused to comply with a preferred pronoun policy is now suing her school district for violating her constitutional rights.
Pamela Ricard, a teacher at Fort Riley Middle School in Geary County School District, filed the lawsuit last week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas nearly a year after the school district suspended her for refusing to refer to a biologically female student with male pronouns.
Ricard cited religious objections for her actions in April 2021 when she called the student “miss” instead of by the student’s chosen male first name, claiming in her lawsuit that the school district violated her religious freedom rights by suspending her.
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“Our suit contends that schools cannot force teachers to promote novel views about gender fluidity and ever-expanding pronoun categories without regard to the First Amendment or due process,” said her attorney Josh Ney, according to the Associated Press. “Throughout her career, Ms. Ricard has consistently treated every student in her classroom with respect and dignity; unfortunately, the school district has not treated Ms. Ricard with similar good faith or basic fairness.”
The district had no policy regarding preferred pronouns at the time of Ricard’s suspension, which was issued under the school’s bullying code of conduct. After the incident, the school principal implemented new policies specifically mandating teachers use a student’s preferred pronouns.
Following the implementation of the new policy, Ricard sought a religious exemption that was denied. The Geary County School board also denied an appeal of her suspension.
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The school board, district superintendent, and Fort Riley Middle School principal are all named in the lawsuit.
