On behalf of its client, Eric Rivera, First Liberty Institute is demanding answers from the public charter school where Rivera says he was berated by the school principal who learned the teacher had not read “Stella Brings the Family” to first graders. The book, one of two LGBT books in the school curriculum, tells the story of a girl who brings her two “dads” to a Mother’s Day party.
The school is KIPP Antioch College Prep Elementary, located in Southeast Nashville.
Rivera, who is a Christian, refused to read “Stella” based on his sincere religious beliefs about biblical marriage.
On the day he was supposed to read the book, Rivera had swapped with another teacher in order to avoid the awkward situation. He alleges the school principal, after finding out, threatened to fire him if he did not “maintain fidelity” to the classroom curriculum.
First Liberty attorney Cliff Martin told American Family News the law firm has fired off a demand letter to the charter school alleging the school unfairly reassigned Rivera to a kindergarten classroom after he sought a religious accommodation.
"Mr. Rivera was entitled to an accommodation member under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act,” Martin argued. “The principal, in particular, violated the act when she retaliated against Mr. Rivera and threatened termination upon him.”
First Liberty did not identify the principal but the school website identifies her as Brittnee Kennedy. Her biography on LinkedIn shows she has served as Antioch College principal since 2022, and she has experience as curriculum instructor and third-grader teacher at other schools. Her biography also states she teaches children’s church at a Baptist church.
According to the First Liberty letter, the school principal has created an anti-religious environment within the school based on her argument same-sex marriage is a fundamental part of the language arts unit. “In so doing,” the letter states, “KIPP tacitly conceded that it will never permit someone with traditional marriage views to teach first grade.”
Another issue being raised by First Liberty is a Tennessee state law that requires parental notification if LGBT-themed materials are shown to public school children.
"We understand from our client that no such notification was given,” Martin said.
Even though red-state Tennessee leans conservative, a Nashville-area resident told AFN the Nashville metro area “leans more blue than the rest of the state.”
