A third-grade teacher with over 30 years of service in Ohio has filed a federal lawsuit after being suspended for including books with LGBTQ+ characters in her classroom library.
Karen Cahall was suspended for three days without pay after New Richmond Exempted Village School District Superintendent Tracey Miller determined that four of her books violated district policy, WCMH reported. The books, part of a larger collection of 100 titles, were not part of the curriculum but available for voluntary reading.
The lawsuit, filed Dec. 2, challenges the constitutionality of the district's policy governing discussion of "controversial issues." The district policy provides no guidelines as to what qualifies as "controversial," but was cited in Cahall's suspension. The lawsuit argues the policy and its enforcement violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits fostering one religion over another.
"Cahall maintained these books in her classroom in furtherance of her sincerely held moral and religious beliefs that all children, including children who are LGBTQ+ or the children of parents who are LGBTQ+, deserve to be respected, accepted, and loved for who they are," the suit said.
The filing also notes a lack of obscene or offensive content in the stories, which center on "characters who are LGBTQ+ and are coming to terms with feeling different."
The suspension followed a complaint from a parent, Kayla Shaw, which led to an investigation by Miller. In a letter, Miller asserted that Cahall knowingly bypassed the approval process for the books and disregarded community values.
"You may believe that some of the books listed above are appropriate for some of your students, but it is not for you to decide," Miller said, warning further action could result in termination.
Cahall's lawsuit seeks damages and a ruling that the district's policy violates constitutional protections. The district has not yet commented.
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