A Christian first-grade teacher in Nashville has been removed from his classroom after requesting a religious accommodation to avoid reading a same-sex family book to students.
Eric Rivera, who teaches at KIPP Antioch College Prep, arranged for another staff member to read the book so the lesson would continue uninterrupted. Despite that, he was issued a final warning and reassigned from his position. First Liberty Institute, which is representing him, says the situation raises serious civil-rights concerns.
“Requiring a teacher to violate their religious beliefs in order to keep their job is blatant discrimination that violates the Civil Rights Acts,” said Senior Counsel Cliff Martin.
The case is now at the center of a growing national debate over religious freedom in public education.
