Wisconsin Teacher Wins Settlement After Termination Over Pronoun Policy
A Wisconsin school teacher has reached a settlement with his school district after being terminated for refusing to use a student’s preferred pronouns and name.
English teacher Jordan Cernek sued the Argyle School District last July after his contract was not renewed, arguing that the decision violated his religious rights and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Court records showed that the district initially granted Cernek a religious accommodation exempting him from the requirement but later mandated adherence to the policy, according to the Daily Caller.
“Mr. Cernek has a sincerely held religious belief that God makes no mistakes when it comes to sex and gender and that calling a transgender student by a name or pronouns at odds with their biological sex would cause Mr. Cernek to affirm that God made a mistake in creating a transgender person as a male or a female,” the lawsuit stated. “In Mr. Cernek’s religious view, affirming a transgender person’s identity through the use of preferred names and pronouns would be speaking a falsehood and violate his religious beliefs.”
In August of 2022, Cernek raised objections to the policy during a meeting when the district announced the policy. Two transgender-identifying students in his class requested that staff use their preferred names for that academic year.
The case was dismissed after both parties reached a settlement. The agreement follows other cases nationwide in which teachers have challenged policies requiring the use of preferred pronouns. Last September, a Virginia teacher reached a similar settlement after being fired for refusing to comply with a district policy. In December, a federal court ruled that an Ohio school district’s pronoun requirement constituted “compelled speech,” leading to a settlement with a middle school teacher.
