Seth Udinski, FISM News
The religious rights of an elementary school teacher in the Loudon County school district were upheld this week as Mr. Tanner Cross was allowed to return to work after he was suspended for speaking out against the school’s far-left transgender policies.
Cross, a physical education teacher at Leesburg Elementary School, had been recently suspended from his position for publicly sharing his concerns with Policy 8040. The policy forces teachers to refer to students by their gender of choice rather than their God-given gender, while also forcing teachers to allow students to use bathrooms and locker rooms based on their choice.
After he was initially suspended this past spring, Cross said,
I’m a teacher, but I serve God first, and I will not affirm that a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa because it’s against my religion, it’s lying to a child, it’s abuse to a child, and it’s sinning against our God.
The school board lifted Cross’s suspension on Monday as part of a $20,000 settlement, marking a vital win for the protection of religious freedom and the freedom of speech in public schools.
Cross, an outspoken Christian, spoke to the press on Monday:
Just today, the court issued a final order permanently prohibiting the Loudoun County Public School Board from punishing me for freely expressing my views. I can now confidently continue teaching at Leesburg Elementary School without fear of punishment for expressing my views.
“…Teachers are just like everyone else – we have ideas and views we should be free to express – and the court has vindicated those rights for me and for all teachers…” -Tanner Cross, ADF Client pic.twitter.com/bdLWtJy6Xe
— Alliance Defending Freedom (@AllianceDefends) November 15, 2021
This is the most recent development for the embattled Loudoun County school district that has seemingly become the public battle ground for the nationwide fight over the sexual revolution, critical race theory, and how much parent’s should have a say in their child’s education. FISM News will continue to follow the events of the tumultuous district.