School District Settles For $575K With Christian
A public school district in Virginia has agreed to settle a lawsuit with a Christian teacher, Peter Vlaming, who was dismissed for refusing to use the preferred pronouns of a transgender student. The West Point School Board reached a resolution on Monday, agreeing to pay $575,000 to cover damages and legal fees, while also removing Vlaming’s termination from his employment record.
Represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a legal group that champions religious freedom cases, Vlaming contested his firing, which occurred in 2018. According to ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer, Vlaming was a dedicated teacher who sought to accommodate students but could not, in good conscience, use language he believed to be false. “We’re pleased to settle this case on Peter’s behalf and hope this serves as a reminder for government and school officials about the cost of disregarding constitutional freedoms,” Langhofer said in a statement.
Vlaming, in response to the settlement, expressed his gratitude to ADF for securing a victory that, in his view, protects the First Amendment rights of teachers and professors. While he aimed to accommodate every student, he explained that using pronouns that conflicted with his religious beliefs was something he couldn’t do.
West Point Public Schools Superintendent Larry L. Frazier Jr. also commented on the settlement, stating that he was pleased an agreement was reached that would not negatively impact students or staff. He emphasized that the district remains committed to creating a respectful and welcoming environment for all students.
Vlaming was initially fired after declining to use male pronouns for a female student who identified as male, though he offered to address the student by the chosen male name. The school district viewed this as discriminatory. After his termination, Vlaming filed a lawsuit in 2019, which was initially dismissed by a lower court. However, in 2021, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled in favor of Vlaming, sending the case back to the lower court for further proceedings.
Justice D. Arthur Kelsey, writing for the majority, stated that Vlaming had a legitimate claim that his religious freedom was violated. The opinion made it clear that religious individuals should not be required to keep their beliefs private, affirming the importance of protecting religious expression in public settings.
Longinus was the centurion who stood at the foot of the Holy Cross as our Savior was drawing near to death and exclaimed, “Certainly this was a righteous man.” Longinus quickly became a fervent believer and shortly thereafter became a martyr for his faith Jesus Christ. When Pilate learned of Longinus’ conversion, he sent troops to find and behead him. The found him easily (since he made no attempt to escape or deny who he was) and he told them that he had embraced Christ as Lord and Savior. He discouraged the troops from leaving him and telling Pilate that they couldn’t find him. He fed and lodged them for the night and the next day insisted that they carry out Pilates orders. They finally agreed and returned to Pilate with Longinus’ head. Thus Longinus became one of the first believers in Christ and one of the very first martyrs for Christ. He is recognized by the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches as a saint of the Church. He is celebrated each year on October 16 in the Holy Orthodox Christian Church and on March 15 in the Roman Catholic Church.