A first-grade teacher in Nashville says he was threatened with termination after declining to read a same-sex marriage-themed book to his students. Eric Rivera, who taught at KIPP Antioch College Prep Elementary, discovered the book in the language arts curriculum while preparing lessons. As a Christian, Rivera believed reading the book aloud would violate his conscience. On the scheduled day, he arranged for a colleague to read it while he observed. The following day, according to the legal group First Liberty Institute, Rivera was called into the principal’s office and issued a “Final Warning” letter accusing him of failing to teach the curriculum “with fidelity.” He was later reassigned after requesting a religious accommodation.

Rivera had no prior disciplinary history. Yet the warning letter reportedly threatened further discipline, “including termination,” and was placed in his personnel file. First Liberty has since sent a demand letter alleging violations of his First Amendment rights and Title VII protections. At the heart of the controversy is not merely a single book, but a growing tension between institutional mandates and individual conscience. The question increasingly facing educators is whether accommodation is possible—or whether compliance is the only acceptable path.

SOURCE: FoxNews