A Virginia school district has agreed to reinstate a substitute teacher who was reportedly “blacklisted” over religious and political beliefs she had expressed on social media.
Montgomery County Public Schools in Virginia was accused of removing Lindsey Rich, a newly hired substitute teacher, after discovering her past social media posts expressing her beliefs about gender ideology.
According to Liberty Counsel, a non-profit legal group, Rich completed the hiring process in September 2024 and reported to her first substitute teaching assignment. However, only two hours after beginning her first assignment, a school human resources official escorted her out of the building.
That same day, the district school board entered a closed session and removed the teacher from the approved list after discovering the teacher’s protected social media posts.
“I was absolutely shocked when the school board violated its own policy by taking action in closed session to strike my name from the personnel list before coming out in open session to vote,” Rich told the Daily Signal.
Rich, an outspoken conservative, ran for a school board election in Virginia but lost. She told the outlet she believed she was let go as a sub because of her stated position while running for office – that God created humans as male and female only, and biological males do not belong in girls’ bathrooms, locker rooms, or sports.
“I believe the school board members removed me [a substitute teacher] for the same reason many attacked me during my campaign,” she said.
Liberty Counsel sent a letter to the district demanding the teacher be returned to the approved substitute teacher list.
The letter explains how the First Amendment, Title VII, and Virginia law protect teachers when they speak on public matters in their private capacity.
“While the government [in this case, MCPS] may generally speak its own message, it is required to meaningfully accommodate the religious free exercise rights of its employees who may hold sincere religious objections to the government’s message or policy proposals,” it states.
“…As interpreted by the Supreme Court of Virginia,…[the teacher] has the right in her capacity as a citizen to freely speak and write regarding her religious views and political views as they are informed by her faith – and neither she nor any other teacher of [the school district] may be penalized for speech expressed in a private capacity – whether that speech takes place pre-employment, or during employment but in a private capacity,” the letter continues.
The school district corrected their decision and restored her to her position.
Liberty Counsel cites she was the only substitute teacher to be removed from the school district for expressing free speech outside of the classroom.
“The First Amendment guarantees a teacher’s right to speak according to his or her religious beliefs and political values. The school district corrected a potentially costly mistake. Teachers have a right to express their conscience and religious beliefs in their private capacity without fear of retribution from their employer,” said Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver.
Jason Ballard, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, and others have called for transparency from the school board.
“It is my understanding that MCPS is currently in need of substitute teachers, and it is truly disheartening to hear that a member of our community was turned away from a position of need due to an apparent difference of opinion with Democrats on the School Board,” he wrote on Facebook in September.
“I call on the Montgomery County School Board to respond to these allegations, as well as provide a statement as to whether or not a prospective teacher’s political ideology is taken into account during their hiring process. Our community deserves to know the truth,” he added.
CBN News reached out to Montgomery County School Board for a statement but they declined citing they could not comment on “personnel matters.”
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