Nashville teacher allegedly threatened with termination after refusing to read LGBTQ+ book

A first-grade teacher at a Nashville charter school says he was threatened with termination and reassigned after requesting a religious accommodation to avoid reading a children’s book depicting a same-sex family. Eric Rivera, who teaches at KIPP Antioch College Prep Elementary, said the conflict began when he was assigned to read Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer as part of a classroom lesson in January. Rivera, a Christian, said he asked administrators for a religious accommodation because the book conflicted with his beliefs. “I refused to read a book that had two fathers on the cover and one daughter,” Rivera said. “I believe that that is not what God designed a marriage to be in a family to be.” According to Rivera, school leaders initially allowed a co-teacher to teach the lesson instead. He said the following day he was called into the principal's office and given a written “final warning.” “The final warning said that I have to teach the lesson planned with fidelity and if I didn’t, I would be terminated,” Rivera said. Rivera says he had no prior disciplinary history before the incident. He said he later accepted a reassignment to a technology teaching position and was subsequently moved again to a kindergarten role but remains employed at the school. “I still have the fear in me that I could lose my job for anything that I do based on my religious beliefs,” Rivera said. Rivera is now represented by First Liberty Institute, a legal organization that says it has sent a formal demand letter to the school. Senior Counsel Cliff Martin said the group believes federal law requires schools to accommodate religious objections when possible. “We’ve submitted a demand letter demanding that they accommodate Mr. Rivera’s religious practices and that they not discriminate,” Martin said. The letter was sent Feb. 17 and requests a response within 10 days. Martin said the claim centers primarily on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which requires employers to reasonably accommodate religious beliefs. The attorney also raised concerns about whether parents were notified of lesson content, under Tennessee Law, though that allegation has not been independently verified. Rivera said the lesson came from curriculum materials used in the school’s first-grade program. He believes parents should be more aware of classroom content. “I just want the whole curriculum to be shown to the parents in a way where they can actually understand,” Rivera said. He said he would return to teaching first grade but would still decline to present that lesson. KIPP Antioch College Prep Elementary operates as a public charter school authorized by the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission. The Tennessee Charter School Commission provided this statement to FOX 17: “All public charter schools must follow the same Tennessee academic standards as traditional public schools, and while they do have flexibility selecting curriculum and materials, they must still be aligned with those same state standards. All schools are required to comply with the prohibited concepts law and must provide a form on their website for reporting violations. The Commission provides a form for submitting complaints related to the prohibited concepts law as well as any other violations of charter school law on our website. Teachers and staff at charter schools are employees of the school or charter operator and as such all personnel matters are handled by the school.” FOX 17 News contacted KIPP Antioch College Prep Elementary, KIPP Nashville Public Schools, Principal Brittnee Kennedy. No responses were received before publication. https://fox17.com/news/local/nashvill... _______________ Follow! Like! Share! Subscribe! WZTV on Facebook:   / foxnashville   WZTV on X:   / foxnashville   https://fox17.com Email us: [email protected] Call the Newsroom: 615.369.1717 Fox 17 provides local news, weather, sports, traffic and entertainment for Nashville and nearby towns and communities in Middle Tennessee, including Forest Hills, Brentwood, Franklin, Fairview, Dickson, Clarksville, White House, Greenbrier, Springfield, Gallatin, Hartsville, Lebanon, Mt Juliet, Smyrna, College Grove, Thompson’s Station, Centerville, Murfreesboro, Columbia, Lewisburg, Shelbyville, Manchester, McMinnville, Smithville, Sparta, Cookeville, Hohenwald, Waverly, Camden, Paris, Lafayette, Portland, and in Kentucky, Russelville, Bowling Green, Franklin, Alvaton, Scottsville, Hopkinsville, Glasgow. #WZTV #fox17news #foxnashville #nashville #tennessee #tn #middletn #localnews #breakingnews #trending #lgbtq #controversy #teacher