A Virginia school district has reinstated a substitute teacher after initially removing her upon discovering her Christian views on gender ideology.
The teacher, identified by The Daily Signal as Lindsay Rich, was restored this week after an intervention by the Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit Christian legal group.
School officials escorted the teacher from an assignment in September 2024 only two hours after she arrived, and the school board met in a closed session that day to take her off the list, the Liberty Counsel said.
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The substitute teacher said her religious views informed her belief that God created humans as male and female, and opposed male students being allowed to enter facilities reserved for female students.
“I was absolutely shocked when the school board violated its own policy by taking action in closed session to strike my name from the personnel list before coming out in open session to vote,” the Signal quoted her as saying.
Liberty Counsel sent a letter to the district asserting that the First Amendment, Title VII and Virginia law protect teachers who speak on public matters in a personal capacity.
“… As interpreted by the Supreme Court of Virginia, … [the teacher] has the right in her capacity as a citizen to freely speak and write regarding her religious views and political views as they are informed by her faith — and neither she nor any other teacher of [the school district] may be penalized for speech expressed in a private capacity — whether that speech takes place pre-employment, or during employment but in a private capacity,” read the letter.
The group also cited the Virginia Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the “Virginia Values Act,” arguing it is unlawful for employers to take adverse action against individuals because of their religious expression.
Following the demand letter, the school district reinstated the teacher’s name on the substitute teachers list. She was the only substitute in that district to lose a job opportunity over statements made outside the classroom.
Liberty Counsel founder and Chairman Mat Staver said: “The First Amendment guarantees a teacher’s right to speak according to his or her religious beliefs and political values. The school district corrected a potentially costly mistake. Teachers have a right to express their conscience and religious beliefs in their private capacity without fear of retribution from their employer.”
The teacher’s removal led local officials and community members to ask for more transparency in the district’s hiring process.
Jason Ballard, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, wrote on Facebook, “It is my understanding that MCPS is currently in need of substitute teachers, and it is truly disheartening to hear that a member of our community was turned away from a position of need due to an apparent difference of opinion with Democrats on the school board.”
He also asked if the political views of applicants factor into hiring decisions, adding, “Our community deserves to know the truth.”
