Former teacher wins settlement against radical school board

Peter Vlaming, a former French teacher at West Point High School, just won a large settlement against the school board who wrongfully fired him.  

In 2018, Vlaming was fired from his 7-year tenured position because he refused to use a student's preferred pronouns that were inconsistent with their biological sex. The school board voted in unanimous 5-0 decision to fire him because he wouldn’t comply with a district policy that violated his first amendment rights. Vlaming used the student’s name, but the school board still called it a violation.  

The settlement comes in the wake of Virginian Governor Glenn Youngkin’s overhaul of the state’s Department of Education. In it, Youngkin laid out the guiding principles for public education that “parents have the right to make decisions with respect to their children... policies shall be drafted to safeguard parents’ rights with respect to their child, and to facilitate the exercise of those rights.” The Department also requires that school boards maintain and uphold these rights; more policies like this are encouraged to protect children, the rights of parents, and the dignity of education.  

In addition to sound policy, Vlaming’s case is a prime example of why elections matter. School boards hold immense influence over the curriculum and rules of the school district. In Vlaming’s case, the irrational rules lead to his termination and deprived his students of a sound education. This is all in light of low voter turnout for school board elections. If parents want to uphold their rights and protect their children, more attention should be brought to local school board elections and made easier for them to vote.   

Read More