A teacher at a Nashville elementary school claimed his job was threatened after he refused to read a book about same-sex marriage to his young students.
According to the legal group First Liberty Institute, Eric Rivera, who taught first-grade at KIPP Antioch College Prep Elementary, discovered a same-sex marriage-themed book listed in the language arts curriculum while preparing lessons earlier this year.
First Liberty said Rivera, a Christian, did not feel he could read the book to students in good conscience. On Jan. 6, the day the book was scheduled to be read, Rivera asked a colleague to read it to his class while he observed.
The next day, Rivera was summoned to the principal’s office and threatened with termination, according to the group. First Liberty said Rivera was issued a “Final Warning” letter accusing him of failing to teach the curriculum “with fidelity” and warning of further discipline, “including termination.” The letter also stated a copy of the notice would be placed in his personnel file, according to the demand letter.
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First Liberty said Rivera had received no prior warnings and had no discipline history. Afterward, he asked for a religious accommodation, but was instead reassigned to a lab and technology position and then to a kindergarten position, according to the legal group.
First Liberty sent principal Brittnee Kennedy a demand letter on Tuesday, accusing KIPP Nashville Public Schools of violating Rivera’s rights under the First Amendment and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The letter said Rivera told Kennedy he found two books in the first-grade language-arts curriculum which conflicted with his religious beliefs, but he said he could continue teaching first grade if another teacher read the two books to his class.
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“However, the principal indicated that the belief in same-sex marriage is so fundamental to the language arts unit that Mr. Rivera could not possibly be permitted to teach any portion of the unit, and therefore had to be removed from the first grade classroom,” according to First Liberty’s letter.
First Liberty also questioned whether KIPP was complying with Tennessee requirements for parental notification and inspection rights for materials related to sexual orientation or gender identity. The letter said the two books are listed in the “LGBTQ+ Books” category on Amazon and have appeared in or received awards from the American Library Association’s “Rainbow Book List.”
“Both of the books to which Mr. Rivera objected require parental notification under Tennessee law, and to our knowledge, none was given. Accordingly, based on our understanding of KIPP’s practices, KIPP should review whether it is in compliance with its obligations to parents under Tennessee and federal law,” the letter said.
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The demand letter asks the school to preserve records, including current curricula and documents tied to adoption and enforcement, “in anticipation of litigation.”
It also asks KIPP to remove the “Final Warning” letter from Rivera’s file, cease discrimination on the basis of religious beliefs, and commit to accommodating religious employees who do not want to read materials objectionable to their faith, according to the letter.
“It is outrageous to send the message: ‘Believe as we do or be terminated,’” Cliff Martin, senior counsel for First Liberty, told Fox News Digital. “Teachers don’t forfeit their religion or religious beliefs when they enter the classroom, nor can they be forced to believe what their employers prefer.”
Principal Kennedy, KIPP Antioch College Prep Elementary and KIPP Nashville Schools Board did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
