An Indiana federal judge ruled that Kluge's refusal to use transgender students' names and pronouns created an undue hardship on the district, which is responsible for educating all of its students.
BROWNSBURG — Brownsburg Community School Corporation did not violate a former music teacher's rights by pushing him to resign after the man refused to use transgender students' names and gender pronouns, a federal appeals court said in an order released Friday.
According to court records, John Kluge was hired in 2014 as the music and orchestra teacher for Brownsburg High School. In 2017, district officials began requiring the high school's teachers to use the names and pronouns listed in the school's official student database, where changes were permitted with letters from a student's parent and a doctor.
But at least two transgender students reported that Kluge's refusal to use their first names singled them out in front of peers and was hurtful. Other students, teachers and counselors also told officials that the issue made Kluge's classroom uncomfortable for many. "Brownsburg has demonstrated as a matter of law that the requested accommodation worked an undue burden on the school's educational mission by harming transgender students and negatively impacting the learning environment for transgender students, for other students in Kluge's classes and in the school generally, and for faculty," the opinion read.
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