While students in New Britain, Connecticut return to class, one teacher remains sidelined, worried she could lose her job as a dispute over her classroom cross keeps her away from the job she loves.
"I dream about my teaching experience almost every day," Marisol Arroyo-Castro told Fox News on Monday.
"I didn’t realize how much I really love teaching now that I cannot go back, and the reason that I cannot go back is just so sad."
Arroyo-Castro, a devout Catholic, was suspended and allegedly "threatened with termination" last December after refusing to remove a crucifix beside her desk, according to her legal representatives.
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First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit religious liberty law firm, along with legal firm WilmerHale, fired off a warning letter to the Consolidated School District of New Britain the following month, accusing the district of violating Arroyo-Castro's constitutional rights with the move.
The group claimed that the school "pressured [Arroyo-Castro] to resign or retire early and sign an agreement not to sue the district," adding that she has been "threatened" with termination unless she agrees to hide the crucifix.
First Liberty senior counsel Keisha Russell said Arroyo-Castro was asked to hide the crucifix inside or under her desk.
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"It's pretty clear to me that the school district is not interested in the inclusion of people like Marisol," Russell said on "Fox & Friends First."
"They said, ‘you can have it up, but it must be hidden…’ and we felt like that was just completely unacceptable.
"We're in America, and a teacher is being asked to hide her crucifix and, if not, she's being punished for it. That's completely unacceptable."
Russell said the nonprofit intends to "keep pressure" on the district and "certainly" welcomes federal intervention.
"We know our president is a champion of religious liberty, so we're going to just keep going. Hopefully, the decision that we're waiting for from the District Court of Connecticut is favorable but, no matter what, we're just going to keep the pressure on the district," she added.
Responding to the case, the Consolidated School District of New Britain issued the following statement to Fox News:
"We have continued to operate in good faith and both [Marisol Arroyo-Castro] and her attorneys have declined all of the options put before her.
"We will continue to follow legal guidance throughout this process and remain committed to upholding both the law and the values of inclusion, neutrality and respect for all."
Arroyo-Castro said she fears she could lose her job over the dispute.
"I believe wholeheartedly that I can lose my job for this, but it's unbelievable to lose it because of my faith, because I always had a cross. I never thought that the cross was a problem for anyone."
Fox News' Kristine Parks contributed to this report.
Original article source: Connecticut teacher fears classroom cross dispute could cost her job
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