Georgia school will pay $181K in legal fees, reinstate concerned mother and teacher who was wrongfully fired

A school district in Georgia settled a lawsuit and agreed to reinstate a substitute teacher after she was fired for expressing concern over the drawings in a picture book that was shown to elementary students. 

Bryan County Schools has agreed to rehire Lindsey Barr and pay $181,000 in damages and attorneys’ fees after school officials fired her for raising alarm about a picture book that was shown to kindergartners, including her own children, at the McAllister Elementary School read-aloud program.

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The book, "All Are Welcome," reportedly contains several illustrations of same-sex couples parenting and expecting children. Barr asked the school's principal if her children could be excused from the reading hour because she said the book contradicted her religious beliefs. 

"The public schools have no business pushing radical ideology on our students, especially the youngest of our students," Barr previously told Fox News Digital. "They have no business doing that." 

Within hours of speaking with the principal, Barr was locked out of the district's online system and later notified that her children would be excused from the reading hour, according to the lawsuit. Heather Tucker, the principal of McCallister Elementary School, reportedly told Barr that her concern over the book "revealed biases that raised a question whether she could support every child."

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Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which represented Barr in her legal fight against the school district, argued she was wrongfully fired in a manner that violated her constitutionally protected freedoms. 

"The First Amendment clearly prohibits BCS from engaging in ‘viewpoint discrimination,’ or the punishment of speech where ‘the opinion or perspective of the speaker’ is the rationale for the punishment," the lawsuit read. 

"Lindsey spoke out as a Christian, a mother, and a private citizen on an important issue—namely, the content and age-appropriateness of a picture book that the school planned to read to her kids and other elementary-aged children that conflicted with her family’s values and faith," ADF Senior Counsel Philip A. Sechler said in a statement. "Yet school officials immediately retaliated against her for expressing those views and fired her from a job at which she excelled."

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"We commend the school district for finally doing the right thing and understanding that the First Amendment protects the right of Lindsey—and all public employees—to express their concerns about what schools are teaching children without the government cancelling them," he added. 

As part of the settlement agreement, the Superintendent of Bryan County Schools expressed regret over her termination, issuing a public statement on her reinstatement as a substitute teacher. 

"Upon returning, we encourage you as a parent to raise concerns about material being taught to your children," the superintendent wrote. "Raising such concerns does not preclude employment in our district. For the future, we are focused on the value you add for children across the district as a substitute teacher. We sincerely regret that your separation from the school district caused any distress."

Yet, Bryan County Schools described the outcome as a business decision made by its insurance company, clarifying that none of the money used to settle the lawsuit came from the school district, according to a statement provided to Fox News Digital.

"The District notes that there is no admission of liability on the part of the School District," the statement read. "In fact, the District Court Judge had denied Plaintiff’s Motion for Preliminary Injunction, determining that Plaintiff failed to establish a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of her claims."

ADF Senior Counsel and director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, Tyson Langhofer, called out the school district for creating an "atmosphere of fear and sends a message to the teacher and others in the community that, if they criticize the school’s approach to cultural or political issues or express viewpoints contrary to the school’s preferred viewpoints, they will face consequences." 

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"That’s unlawful and why we had to file suit in Lindsey’s situation," he added. "The settlement the school district agreed to is a victory for Lindsey, the families of Bryan County Schools, and every parent’s fundamental right to speak out concerning their children."