An attorney for two Missouri school district employees on Wednesday urged the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit to revive their First Amendment challenge to the district’s mandatory “equity training” for staff.

The lawsuit alleges the Springfield School District both compelled the employees to speak as directed and chilled dissenting speech through the required training. In the fall of 2021, the district required employees to attend a two-hour session to learn how to become “anti-racist educators, leaders and staff members” and warned that unprofessional conduct would lead to not receiving attendance credit.