VA School District Will Pay Fired Christian Teacher $575,000 in Fees and Damages

A former high school teacher in Virginia, vindicated by the state’s highest court last December, will also get a check.

Peter Vlaming taught French in the West Point School District. Like many rational-thinking people, he did not want to refer to boys as “her” or vice versa and call students by new names based on “gender identity.”

But he was willing to compromise. A female student wanted everyone to lie and refer to her as “he.” Vlaming said he’d avoid the pronouns and just use her preferred name. That wasn’t good enough. The school wanted Vlaming to stop avoiding lies and use the girl’s preferred pronouns as well. When Vlaming refused, the school district fired him.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed a lawsuit on Vlaming’s behalf in 2022. A lower court dismissed his case, but the Virginia Supreme Court reversed and remanded the case.

ADF announced on Monday that the West Point School Board settled the lawsuit and will pay Vlaming $575,000 in damages and attorneys’ fees. The school board will also respect free speech and parental rights — courtesy of Governor Glenn Youngkin’s policies to protect these rights. From ADF:

The settlement follows last December’s landmark Virginia Supreme Court opinion in Vlaming’s favor affirming that the Virginia Constitution contains robust free speech and free exercise protections for public employees.

“I was wrongfully fired from my teaching job because my religious beliefs put me on a collision course with school administrators who mandated that teachers ascribe to only one perspective on gender identity—their preferred view,” Vlaming said. “I loved teaching French and gracefully tried to accommodate every student in my class, but I couldn’t say something that directly violated my conscience.”

Christians must stand firm under pressure. We’re low-hanging fruit for leftists, and they think nothing of trampling on our constitutional rights to free speech and free exercise of religion.

Stand up for freedom! Sign up for the newsletter and help spread the word.