A Virginia school district has pledged to appeal a judge's order to reinstate a teacher who opposed their transgender policy of requiring faculty and staff address students by their preferred gender pronouns.
Loudoun County Public Schools released a statement Friday saying that it “respectfully disagrees with the Circuit Court’s decision to issue the injunction” reinstating Tanner Cross, a Leesburg Elementary School physical education teacher.
The school district said it intends to take the case to the Virginia Supreme Court.
Many students and parents at Leesburg Elementary have expressed fear, hurt and disappointment about coming to school. Addressing those concerns is paramount to the school division’s goal to provide a safe, welcoming, and affirming learning environment for all students.
LCPS said that it respects the rights of public-school employees to freely exercise their constitutional rights of freedom of speech and freedom of religion but that the rights of students to "be educated in a supportive and nurturing environment" outweighs the rights of Cross.
Cross said in a May 25 board meeting, as previously reported by Townhall, that he does not want to hurt anyone but that the school district's transgender policy is harmful to children and defiles the image of God.
I am 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 its sinning against our God.