A teacher who was punished for having LGBTQ+ books in her classroom is suing the New Richmond School District and its superintendent, alleging that her rights to free expression and due process were infringed.
Longtime Monroe Elementary teacher Karen Cahall sued the district, school board members, and Superintendent Tracey Miller.
Cahall claims the district sent her a letter telling her of her suspension, which was included in the lawsuit.
She received a three-day suspension for putting four books with LGBTQ+ characters on display in her Monroe Elementary third-grade classroom.
The books in dispute were Too Bright to See, Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea, The Fabulous Zed Watson, and Ana on the Edge.
According to Cahall, she did not mandate that the pupils read the books; they were just one of dozens of works covering a wide range of topics.
The district said in the letter that was attached to the lawsuit that Cahall knew the books were unacceptable since she had requested and been refused permission to place them in the library. Without following the appropriate approval procedure, the books were put in the classroom.
Additionally, the complaint contests the district’s contentious issues policy.
According to the policy, a controversial issue is one that has been the subject of conflicting viewpoints being spread by responsible opinion or that is anticipated to generate both support and opposition within the community.
According to the policy, the board will permit the introduction and appropriate educational use of contentious issues as long as they are related to the course of study’s instructional goals and the students’ maturity level, do not tend to indoctrinate or persuade students to adopt a particular viewpoint, promote open-mindedness, and are carried out in an atmosphere of scholarly inquiry.
According to Cahall’s lawsuit, the guideline is vague about what supplies or objects a teacher can have in the classroom that aren’t related to a lesson plan.
Cahall’s lawsuit alleges that between 2021–2022, the district contemplated permitting staff members to use pronouns in the classroom and to wear rainbow stickers, name tags, name plates, and laptop covers.
She asserts that the district forbade the wearing of rainbow stickers and that the proposal generated both favor and resistance from the community.
In her case, Cahall also alleges that other educators have worn cross necklaces as a way to openly show religious symbols in front of pupils.
Cahall is asking the court to grant both punitive and compensatory damages in addition to the lawsuit’s associated costs.
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