A Catholic public school teacher in Connecticut was allegedly suspended and “threatened with termination” after refusing to remove a crucifix from beside her desk, according to her legal lawyers.
On Tuesday, the First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit religious liberty law firm, and WilmerHale sent a warning letter to the Consolidated School District of New Britain, accusing the district of violating the constitutional rights of their client, DiLoreto Elementary & Middle School teacher Marisol Arroyo-Castro.
According to the letter, which was initially shared with Fox News Digital, school officials suspended Castro without pay, placed her on administrative leave, and threatened to fire her, “all for displaying a crucifix beside her desk in the corner of the classroom.”
According to the letter, the tenured teacher and grandmother had kept a small crucifix and other personal things beside her classroom desk for the previous ten years before the argument. According to First Liberty, various personal objects, including religious ones, can be found in the workplaces of other teachers at the school.
According to the letter, DiLoreto’s vice principal directed Castro to remove the crucifix in December after a complaint was made over its exhibition. However, Castro had not removed the cross by the following week, prompting another meeting between the instructor, school authorities, and a representative from the teachers’ union.
According to First Liberty, a solution was made that allowed Castro to hang the cross in a less prominent location for kids. However, shortly following the meeting, she was reportedly forced to hang the cross under her desk, which astonished and saddened her.
The next day, Castro reportedly told the school principal that she would not remove the cross, prompting the head to tell her that she needed to remove the religious symbol to properly “live out [her] faith” and “give Caesar what is Caesar’s.”
After refusing, Castro was summoned to another meeting, where she was reportedly told by a district administrator that a few days without pay would allow her to “reflect” on whether it was in her “best interest” to maintain the cross on the wall. She was then suspended without pay for two days due to insubordination.
According to the letter, Castro was informed that if she did not comply with the district’s instructions when she returned to school, she would be suspended for an additional five days. After telling the district that she could not keep the crucifix beneath her desk in good conscience, she was placed on paid administrative leave.
During her administrative vacation, First Liberty claims Castro has been “pressured to resign or retire early and sign an agreement not to sue the district” and has been “threatened” with termination unless she agrees to hide the cross.
The legal group claims that the district is breaching the teacher’s First and Fourteenth Amendment rights under the United States Constitution, as well as religious freedom protections under state law and job discrimination safeguards.
The Consolidated School District of New Britain denied these accusations in a statement to Fox News Digital, calling them “inaccurate and misleading.”
The district described the teacher’s decision to “prominently” display a religious emblem on the wall of a public school classroom as a “clear violation” of federal and state statutes that require public schools to stay neutral on religious issues.
“That the emblem was put on the front wall of the classroom is significant. It was visible to all students in the classroom, which violated our children’ religious freedom,” the district claimed.
“We will not allow any teacher to use their position of authority to impose their personal religious beliefs or violate students’ civil rights,” stated Dr. Tony Gasper, Superintendent of Schools. “Our commitment is to ensure a learning environment where all students feel respected.”
The district stated that the teacher has been placed on paid leave as they work to handle the situation in a “cooperative and collaborative manner.”
According to Keisha Russell, Senior Counsel of First Liberty Institute, “School officials in America need to catch up with the times.”
“The Supreme Court has made it obvious that the days of threatening teachers for even little demonstrations of faith are finished. Asking a teacher to remove any religious materials from their workspace is an affront to the First Amendment and a violation of state and federal law. “The school district must back down now,” she said in a statement.
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