Wisconsin school district settles lawsuit with former teacher for $20,000

• A Wisconsin school district settled a lawsuit with former teacher Jordan Cernek for $20,000. The settlement comes after his contract was not renewed when he refused to refer to students using their preferred names or pronouns, citing his religious beliefs.
• Cernek’s lawsuit, filed in May 2023, argued that the school violated his First Amendment rights to free speech and religion, as well as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination.
• The settlement follows a similar case in Virginia. The West Point Public School Board agreed to pay a former teacher $575,000 in 2024. The teacher was fired for not using a transgender student’s preferred pronouns.

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A Wisconsin school district settled a lawsuit with a former teacher for $20,000. His contract was not renewed when he refused to refer to students using their preferred names or pronouns, citing his religion.

“It was told to us at a staff meeting there that we had to address students by their preferred names and their preferred pronouns because of Title IX and gender identity,” Cernek said. “A push that was coming from the federal government, I think, at that point.”

What’s the background of the lawsuit?

Cernek’s attorneys said he informed the Argyle School District in southern Wisconsin of his religious objection to the new policy. He agreed not to use any names when referring to students. The school warned him that failure to use preferred names or pronouns would result in disciplinary action.

Six months later, the school district did not renew Cernek’s contract.

What laws did the school system allegedly break?

Jordan Cernek filed a lawsuit against the Argyle School District in May 2023 after the school let him go, according to his law firm, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL). The lawsuit argued that the school violated his First Amendment rights to free speech and religion. The group also claimed the school violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination.

The superintendent confirmed to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the district’s insurance company decided to settle with Cernek for $20,000.

A similar case in Virginia resulted in the West Point Public School Board agreeing to pay a former teacher $575,000. The teacher sued the school after they were fired for not using a transgender student’s preferred pronouns.