Wisconsin school district settles with teacher who refused to use transgender student's pronouns

From JSOnline:

Kelly Meyerhofer

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A Wisconsin school district paid $20,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by one of its teachers who was fired after failing to use a transgender student's preferred pronouns.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, a Milwaukee-based law firm representing conservative interests, sued in federal court last year on behalf of Argyle High School teacher Jordan Cernek. The teacher said the district tried forcing him to betray his religious convictions in violation of the First Amendment and other laws.

Argyle School District is in Lafayette County in the southwest part of Wisconsin.

Court records show the case was dismissed last month. Superintendent Randy Refsland confirmed the $20,000 settlement, saying the district's insurance company made a decision to settle for that amount. He declined to comment further.

Cernek said the issue began in 2022 when administrators made a policy change to be more inclusive of identities other than heterosexual males and females. His complaint said the district initially allowed Cernek to not use a transgender student's preferred pronouns on the grounds of religious objection, but changed its position two months later.

Cernek said he tried addressing students through gestures rather than names and pronouns. Eventually, he said the school sent a letter saying the workaround wasn't sufficient. The letter also warned him refusal to follow the policy would result in disciplinary action.

About six months later, the district declined to renew Cernek's teaching contract.

"I had to go against my conscience and religious convictions in order to do what the school was saying," Cernek previously told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I didn't want to take part in promoting lies to kids or anybody."

Abigail Swetz, executive director of Fair Wisconsin, a statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights and political advocacy organization, said last summer that using pronouns affirming a child’s gender identity are essential to their wellbeing and the only moral choice.

Cernek, who has found employment elsewhere, said in a statement through his law firm he will continue encouraging teachers to stand up for their beliefs.

Kelly Meyerhofer covers higher education in Wisconsin. Contact her at kmeyerhofer@gannett.com or 414-223-5168. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @KellyMeyerhofer. 

From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/education/2025/03/10/argyle-school-district-settles-in-teachers-trans-pronoun-lawsuit/81984971007/