A Colorado middle school dean who was allegedly fired after expressing pride in being an American during a diversity training session is now suing the district for violating his rights.
According to America First Legal (AFL), which filed the lawsuit, this all began in January when their client made comments at a mandatory training program that did not sit well with others.
Attendees were asked to discuss what it meant for them to "be white" and how they identified.
Patrick Hogarty, who at the time was Dean of Students at Campus Middle School in the Cherry Creek School District in Aurora, Colorado, "responded by stating he identifies as an American and believes the United States is the greatest country in the world."
According to AFL, Hogarty was under the impression that anything he said during the training would be kept confidential and would not interfere with his job. Despite this, AFL states, the school district's Equity Director reported what he said to the principal, allegedly accusing Hogarty of expressing "racist undertones."
In March, Hogarty was let go due to "budgetary reason," which the AFL says contradicts "district records showing increased staffing" for the same year.
"Cherry Creek School District blatantly violated the First Amendment rights of our client when they terminated him because his pride in the United States of America did not align with the district's political ideology that America is a systemically racist nation," AFL Senior Advisor Ian Prior said in a statement.
"Like other school districts across the country, Cherry Creek has replaced the Bill of Rights with the 'DEI Manifesto,' and teachers, students, and parents are being silenced for standing up for the values that make America great."
AFL and Hogarty are demanding that Cherry Creek "reinstate Mr. Hogarty, with back-pay," according to the complaint. They are also seeking payment to cover damages and for the district to "revise its employment policies to explicitly protect its employees' First Amendment rights."
At the time of writing the school district had yet to respond to the lawsuit.
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