The teacher was fired for refusing to use the student’s preferred pronouns. He will receive a severance payment of $575,000

The principal had required the teacher to use the student’s chosen pronouns even outside of school

A Virginia teacher who was fired six years ago for refusing to refer to a biologically female student as “he/him” will receive a nearly $600,000 severance package.

As reported by The college fix, French teacher Peter Vlaming (pictured) was fired by the West Point School Board in December 2018 based on a policy that was essentially made up “out of thin air.”

After Vlaming accidentally used “she” when referring to the student in “his” absence, the student requested a meeting when he found out about it.

Vlaming then met with the student and parents, whereupon one parent asked him to “disregard his principles and beliefs” and to use only the required male pronouns.

Vlaming’s principal then told him to “do whatever parents ask” and the vice principal gave him documents from the National Center for Transgender Equality regarding “use of pronouns.”

After another pronoun error by Vlaming, the parents pulled the student out of the class. Vlaming was suspended for a month while the district investigated whether he violated its “harassment or retaliation” policies.

Superintendent Laura Abel required Vlaming to use male pronouns with the student “regardless of location or context, including outside of school.” When Vlaming said he could not “in good conscience” comply with such a demand, the school board fired him for violating the district’s nondiscrimination policy.

According to a news release from the Alliance Defending Freedom, the settlement between the West Point school board and Vlaming includes $575,000 in damages and attorneys’ fees and the removal of his termination from his record.

Separately, the board agreed to “amend its policies to align with Virginia’s new education policy established by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, which respects fundamental free speech and parental rights.”

Tyson Langhofer, director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, said: “[Vlaming] wasn’t fired for anything he said; he was fired because of something he did could not say. The school board violated his First Amendment rights under the Virginia Constitution and commonwealth law.”

Langhofer added that Vlaming “could not in good conscience express messages that he knew to be untrue, and no school board or government official can punish anyone for that reason.”

MORE: Montana State student wins lawsuit over ‘preferred pronouns’

IMAGE: Alliance for the Defense of Freedom

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