A Virginia educator, who lost his job six years ago for not calling a biologically female student by “he/him” pronouns, is set to receive a settlement of close to $600,000.
According to a report by The College Fix, Peter Vlaming, a French teacher, was let go by the West Point School Board in December 2018, based on what seemed to be a hastily crafted policy.
The issue arose when Vlaming mistakenly referred to the student using “she” in her absence, which led to the student seeking a meeting after learning about the incident.
During a meeting with the student and their parents, a parent insisted Vlaming “leave his principles and beliefs out of this” and comply with the use of male pronouns as requested.
The school’s principal later advised Vlaming to “do whatever the parents ask,” while the assistant principal presented him with literature from the National Center for Transgender Equality about “pronoun usage.”
Following another mistake in pronoun use by Vlaming, the student’s parents opted to remove their child from his class. Consequently, Vlaming faced a one-month suspension while the district investigated if he had breached its “harassment or retaliation” policy.
Superintendent Laura Abel mandated that Vlaming use male pronouns for the student “regardless of location or context, even outside of school.” Vlaming, stating he could not “in good conscience” adhere to this requirement, was terminated for not complying with the district’s nondiscrimination policy.
In a statement from Alliance Defending Freedom, it was shared that the settlement with Vlaming from the West Point School Board includes $575,000 for damages and attorney fees, and the erasure of his termination from his employment record.
In a separate agreement, the board consented to “change its policies to conform to the new Virginia education policies established by Gov. Glenn Youngkin that respect fundamental free speech and parental rights.”
Tyson Langhofer of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom remarked, “[Vlaming] wasn’t fired for something he said; he was fired for something he couldn’t say. The school board violated his First Amendment rights under the Virginia Constitution and commonwealth law.”
Langhofer also stated, Vlaming “couldn’t in good conscience speak messages that he knew were untrue, and no school board or government official can punish someone for that reason.”
