FIRST ON FOX– A public school teacher in Connecticut, who is Catholic, was allegedly suspended and “threatened with termination” after refusing to remove a crucifix beside her desk, according to her legal representatives.
First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit religious liberty law firm, along with legal firm WilmerHale, fired off a warning letter to the Consolidated School District of New Britain on Tuesday, accusing the district of violating the constitutional rights of their client, DiLoreto Elementary & Middle School teacher Marisol Arroyo-Castro, with its actions.
The letter, first shared with Fox News Digital, alleges school leaders suspended Castro without pay, placed her on administrative leave and threatened to terminate her employment, “all for displaying a crucifix beside her desk in the corner of the classroom.”
The tenured teacher and grandmother had displayed a small crucifix, among other personal items, beside her classroom desk for the past ten years before the dispute, according to the letter. First Liberty claims that other personal items, including religious ones, can also be found in other teachers’ workspaces at the school.
The letter claims that in December, DiLoreto’s vice principal instructed Castro to remove the crucifix after a concern was raised about its display. However, by the following week, Castro did not remove the cross, leading to another meeting between the teacher, school leaders and a teachers’ union representative.
First Liberty says a compromise was reached to where Castro could hang the cross if it was less visible to students. However, immediately after that meeting, she was reportedly told to hang the cross under her desk, which left her shocked and upset.
The following day, Castro reportedly told the school principal she would not remove the cross, leading the principal to warn her that she must remove the religious symbol to properly “live out [her] faith” and “give Caesar what is Caesar’s.”
After she refused, Castro was pulled into another meeting where she was reportedly warned by a district official that a few days without pay would help her “reflect” on whether it was in her “best interest” to keep the cross on the wall. She was then suspended without pay for two days on the grounds of insubordination.
According to the letter, Castro was warned that she would face an additional five-day suspension if she did not comply with the district’s demands when she returned to school. After telling the district she could not keep the crucifix under her desk, in good conscience, she was placed on paid administrative leave.
While she is on administrative leave, First Liberty claims Castro has been “pressured to resign or retire early and sign an agreement not to sue the district” and been “threatened” with termination unless she agrees to hide the crucifix.
The legal group argues the district is violating the teacher’s First and Fourteenth Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution, as well as religious freedom protections under state law and workplace discrimination protections.
The Consolidated School District of New Britain disputed these claims in a statement to Fox News Digital, calling them “inaccurate and misleading.”
The district called the teacher’s decision to “prominently” display a religious symbol on the public school classroom’s wall a “clear violation” of federal and state laws ensuring public schools remain neutral on religious matters.
“That the symbol posted was on the front wall of the classroom is important. It was part of the classroom environment for all students to see, infringing on the religious freedom of our students,” the district explained.
“We will not allow any teacher to use their position of authority to impose their personal religious beliefs or infringe on the civil rights of students,” said Dr. Tony Gasper, Superintendent of Schools. “Our commitment is to ensure a learning environment where all students feel respected.”
The district said the teacher has been placed on paid leave while they continue to resolve the matter in a “cooperative and collaborative fashion.”
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Keisha Russell, Senior Counsel at First Liberty Institute, commented, “School officials in America need to catch up with the times.”
“The Supreme Court has made it clear that the days of intimidating teachers from even the most benign expressions of faith are over. Asking a teacher to purge their workspace of anything religious is an affront to the First Amendment and violates both state and federal law. The school district needs to back down now,” she added in a statement.
