In a divided opinion Thursday, the Virginia Supreme Court reinstated a former high school teacher’s free-speech lawsuit against West Point School Board claiming he was wrongfully fired after he refused to address a transgender boy with he/him pronouns because of his religious beliefs.
In considering Peter Vlaming’s claims that the school district violated his rights under the Virginia Constitution and Virginia law, the state high court concluded that the King William County Circuit Court erred in finding that the teacher failed to state legally viable claims that his rights to freedom of speech and religion, as well as his contract with the school, was violated, according to the majority opinion written by Judge D. Arthur Kelsey.
