The Wisconsin English teacher, Jordan Cernek, argues in the suit that the district violated his freedom of religion and free speech in mandating the use of the students' preferred names and pronouns.

The Wisconsin English teacher, Jordan Cernek, argues in the suit that the district violated his freedom of religion and free speech in mandating the use of the students’ preferred names and pronouns.

A high school English teacher is suing a Wisconsin school district, alleging it did not renew his contract last year because he refused to use the preferred names of two transgender students.

Jordan Cernek’s federal lawsuit alleges the Argyle School District violated his constitutional and civil rights to be free of religious discrimination and to be able to express himself according to his religious beliefs when it did not renew his contract because he refused to abide by a requirement that teachers use the names or pronouns requested by students.

  • @Mediocre_Bard
    63•25 days ago

    Yep, and good riddance.

    If students do not feel respected, then they will neither give respect nor learn. You call a kid what they want to be called. Without a sense of shared community, the classroom will fail.

    Additionally, there is not a religion on earth that says you can’t use people’s nicknames, preferred names, chosen names, or whatever. This guy can go eat a bag of Dicks.

    • @Wrench
      12•25 days ago

      We had two kids my age that wanted to be called by Final Fantasy character names. AFAIK, no one had any problem with it.

      • @[email protected]
        16•25 days ago

        I had a classmate that hated her name that went by Peaches. She would politely correct each teacher each year, and it was done.

        The only time I ever saw her have an issue was with a shitheel sub who refused to call her that, and the class literally revolted. Started yelling “thats her name” and “what’s your problem!” We just brutalized that dude for the whole class hour about it. Never saw him again.

        It was great.

        • @[email protected]
          7•25 days ago

          To be fair, lots of students mess with subs. It’s possible the sub assumed the kids were fucking with them.

          • @[email protected]
            7•25 days ago

            She wasn’t, and this guy double/tripled down. We only started yelling at him after he tried to lambast her about her name repeatedly.

            She really was sweet as peaches, too. Nobody was going to let some rando asshole treat her bad about her name.

          • @mightyfoolish
            3•24 days ago

            @[email protected]

            I can see why the sub could think it was a prank to get him in trouble; “peaches” can be slang for breasts. However, it could also refer to a person who is “sweet”.