Attorney says 'a lot of teachers coming to us' after they are being forced to use students' preferred pronouns

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Gillian Turner speaks to Alliance Defending Freedom on VA teacher's free speech case

Virginia teacher Byron 'Tanner' Cross filed a lawsuit after he was suspended for objecting to the district's transgender policy. Fox News' Gillian Turner speaks to Ryan Bangert, of the Alliance Defending Freedom.

The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) law firm scored several legal victories by defending teachers who object to using students’ preferred pronouns, which were mandated by school districts.

"There are a lot of teachers coming to us," ADF legal counsel Logan Spena told Fox News Digital.

"Unfortunately, too many school districts around this country have adopted policies that compel teachers to personally affirm things that aren't true," Spena said. "That's a violation of their First Amendment rights. And we've thankfully been able to have some success in representing other teachers. And so that's leading other teachers to contact us."

ADF on Wednesday settled a federal lawsuit against the Jackson Local School District (JLSD) in Ohio after two years.

LOCAL VIRGINIA TEACHERS NO LONGER FORCED TO USE STUDENTS' PREFERRED PRONOUNS AFTER SETTLEMENT

The Virginia-based West Point School Board agreed to pay a former high school teacher, Peter Vlaming, $575,000 in damages and attorney’s fees after he refused to call a transgender student by their preferred pronouns. (Peter Vlaming)

Ohio-based middle school English teacher Vivian Geraghty won $450,000 in damages and legal fees after suing JLSD for a free speech violation. Geraghty was forced to resign because she refused to participate in the "social transition" of students who express a gender identity inconsistent with their biological sex.

According to ADF, school district officials demanded her resignation because she objected to conforming to a policy that would violate her religious beliefs. 

"This settlement is monetary. It still sends a strong message that if you're going to not respect the constitutional rights of teachers, it's going to have a cost," Spena told Fox News Digital. "Jackson, in this instance, isn't changing this policy. As far as we know, there aren't other teachers there that are objecting to this.

Spena added that ADF is currently handling a similar case in Indiana.

"It's in the seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. We're also seeing the problem crop up really all over the country," he explained.

Furthermore, ADF boasts a consistent record of winning these kinds of cases. 

Deborah Figliola, a Virginia-based teacher, told Fox News Digital that a lot of teachers disagreed yet were silent about Harrisonburg City Public Schools policy mandating that employees use a students’ preferred pronouns. (Fox News Digital)

Most recently, ADF won a case against the Harrisonburg City Public Schools in Virginia, which resulted in the school board granting three teachers religious accommodations and ending a mandate forcing employees to use students’ preferred pronouns. 

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Kristine Marsh, Laura Nelson, and Debrah Figlolia argued that their rights, protected in the Commonwealth’s Free Speech Clause and the Virginia Religious Freedom Restoration Act, had been violated by compelled speech.

Similar to the case in JSLD, the teachers in HCPS had to undergo training that required teachers to ask a student’s "preferred" name and pronouns and to always use them. 

Deborah Figliola, one of the three plaintiffs in the case, told Fox News Digital that several teachers disagreed with the policy, but didn’t speak up. 

She added that some teachers even quit due to the policy.

ADF won the case in Harrisonburg after winning a significant case they described as having "seismic implications" for teachers in Virginia and abroad. ​​Virginia-based West Point School Board agreed to pay a former high school teacher, Peter Vlaming, $575,000 in damages and attorney’s fees after he refused to call a transgender student by their preferred pronouns.

Alliance Defending Freedom scored several legal victories defending teachers who object to using students’ preferred pronouns, which were mandated by school districts. (Logan Spena)

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Spena explained to Fox News Digital that although the Vlaming case was related to Virginia's Constitution in particular, "it's absolutely been helpful" for the lawsuit against JLSD and raises implications that could aid authorities in other states.

He went on to say, "What's important to understand about Vlaming is that it is a Virginia constitutional case, not a federal case. But it did go all the way to the Virginia Supreme Court, which offered an excellent interpretation of Virginia's free speech and free exercise of religion provision. So that protects teachers in Virginia strongly, but it also is persuasive authority for other courts to look at."

JLSD officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"The Jackson Local School District is committed to cultivating a learning environment where every student feels supported, valued and safe," Board of Education President Tonya Wright said in a statement, per CantonRep.