Teacher sues after suspension for refusing to use student's pronouns

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A middle school teacher in Kansas was suspended for refusing to use a student’s preferred first name and gender pronouns, saying it was against her religion.

Pamela Ricard, 58, who works at Fort Riley Middle School in Fort Riley, a U.S. military base about 200 kilometres west of Kansas City, is going to court to sue, contending the Geary County School District violated her constitutional rights and did not accommodate her “since religious beliefs consistent with the traditional Christian and biblical understanding of the human person and biological sex,” CNN reported.

Ricard was placed on leave for three days in 2021.

Ricard, who has taught at the school since 2005, was reprimanded and suspended last April for addressing a “biologically female” student as “Miss,” rather than the student’s preferred first name and or the pronouns, his, he and him.

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While the student had never told Ricard of his preference, a school counsellor and another student did.

Ricard argued that by addressing the student as “Miss,” she respected the student while also upholding her religious beliefs, according to her lawsuit.

According to court documents, the teacher believes that God assigns gender at birth, and any policy requiring her to use language that is different from the student’s biological sex “actively violates Ms. Ricard’s religious beliefs.”

She was placed on leave under the district’s bullying, diversity and inclusion policies, as there was no formal school policy on gender pronouns at the time of Ricard’s suspension.

After her suspension, the school’s principal sent staff new training and protocol materials, requiring them to use students’ preferred names and pronouns, CNN reported.

The district has threatened to discipline Ricard again, with the potential for firing, if she continues to refuse to use students’ preferred pronouns, or does not use gender-neutral language.