A teacher wins a $95,000 lawsuit after suspension for refusing to use a student’s preferred pronouns, citing religious beliefs.

A teacher in a Kansas middle school secured a $95,000 settlement after being suspended for refusing to use a biologically female student’s preferred pronouns, citing her deeply held religious convictions.

The teacher argued that her rights to religious freedom were violated when she adhered to her belief that gender is assigned by God at birth.

In 2021, Pamela Ricard, a middle school math teacher at Fort Riley Middle School in Kansas since 2005, became the focus of a national debate on gender identity, religious freedoms, and school policies.

Ricard’s suspension stemmed from her decision to address a biologically female student by their legal last name, despite being informed by a school counselor that the student preferred an alternative first name.