A federal appeals court recently ruled that a Maryland school district’s policy on using students’ preferred pronouns does not violate a Christian substitute teacher’s rights. The case was brought forward by substitute teacher Kimberly Polk, who began working at Maryland’s Montgomery County Public Schools in 2021. Polk refused to follow the school’s pronoun policy citing religious purposes and “her understanding of her Christian religion and the Holy Bible.” For this reason, Polk requested a religious accommodation from the school to misgender students, which was then denied. She sued the school district in 2024, under claims that the denial violated her First Amendment rights, according to LGBTQ Nation.
As per the Washington Post, after the case was brought to the U.S. Court of Appeals’ 4th Circuit, Polk’s claims were dismissed. The court sided with a lower court decision, finding that Polk had not made a strong case for the school’s policy being hostile to her religious views. The court maintained that the policy was part of the job she accepted, and therefore did not violate her First Amendment rights.
“Be it choosing curriculum or placing administrative requirements on how teachers deliver that curriculum, those decisions are entrusted to the Board, not to judges,” said Judge Robert B. King. “And it is the Board — not individual teachers — which is democratically responsive. If, as Polk says, teachers and parents disagree with the Guidelines, then democratic means exist to address their concerns.”
The Post reports that the ruling may set a precedent for similar cases being brought to light in neighboring states like Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and West Virginia. However, Polk’s lawyer has since stated that they may seek to take their case to the Supreme Court.
Respecting the rights and privacy of trans youth has been a hot topic in school districts across the country. Each implements its own policy on pronouns, misgendering, and sharing personal student information with parents.
