Marisol Castro has taught in the Connecticut public schools for 32 years. For the last 10 years, while teaching in the New Britain School District, she has placed a crucifix by her desk along with other personal items such as student artwork and a church calendar. As a devout Catholic, the crucifix reminds her to pray and helps her remain calm throughout the day as she faithfully teaches her students.
But then, in early December 2024, Marisol was brought into a meeting with the vice principal and abruptly told that unless she removed the crucifix by her desk by 8:00 a.m. the following Monday morning she would be charged with insubordination. In a follow up email to her, the vice principal said, “During the meeting, … I shared that any permanent displays of religious symbols are prohibited from public schools, based on the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.”
Devastated, she felt she could not violate her religious conscience and remove it but feared that her retirement, after years of teaching, would be in jeopardy. Four days later, she met with the principal, vice principal, chief of staff, and a union representative. The principal told her that the cross was just an idol. To her as a Catholic, that was offensive. The chief of staff suggested she put the crucifix in a drawer, but Marisol explained that she would feel bad, like she was putting Jesus in a drawer. The union rep suggested a compromise: move the crucifix to a place where the students won’t see it.
The group went to her classroom and told her to move the crucifix under her desk. After she did so, Marisol started to sob, feeling as though she “hid it under a bushel,” rather than letting her light shine. After many tears and prayer, she felt her sincere beliefs would be violated by following the school’s directives, so the next day she returned the crucifix to its original location.
The next day, Marisol received a letter of reprimand, explaining that her actions were “insubordinate.” The principal visited her classroom and told her that she should remove the crucifix to properly “live out [her] faith” and exhorted her to “give Caesar what is Caesar’s.” When she responded that she could not in good conscience remove the crucifix, she was then suspended without pay for two-days. The school hoped that she was realize it was in her best interest to comply and hang the crucifix under her desk in a place the school administration called her “private space.” Now she is on administrative leave during the grievance process.
In the personal space next to their desks, other teachers display photos of family and friends, images of Wonder Woman and Baby Yoda, a miniature of the Mona Lisa, New England Patriots football team pennant, inspirational quotes, a photograph of a statue of the Virgin Mary, and a mug referencing a Bible verse.
In January of this year, First Liberty and the law firm WilmerHale sent a letter to officials at the New Britain School District in Connecticut on behalf of Marisol, demanding that the school reinstate her after she was placed on administrative leave.
“Requiring a teacher to purge their workspace of anything religious is blatant hostility that violates the First Amendment,” said Keisha Russell, Senior Counsel at First Liberty Institute. “The Supreme Court said in the recent Kennedy decision that teachers have the right to engage in personal religious expression under the Free Exercise Clause, including when students are present.”
News Release
For Immediate Release: 1.22.25
Contact: John Manning, media@firstliberty.org
Direct: 972-941-4453
Connecticut School Teacher Ordered to Remove Crucifix from Workspace or be Terminated from 30-Year Teaching Job
Teacher has been suspended for weeks and faces losing job for having small cross hanging on wall near her desk.
New Britain, CT—First Liberty Institute and the law firm WilmerHale sent a letter to officials at the New Britain School District in Connecticut on behalf of Marisol Arroyo-Castro, a 30-year veteran teacher, demanding that the school reinstate her after she was placed on administrative leave for refusing to remove a small crucifix from her workspace.
You can read the letter here.
“Requiring a teacher to purge their workspace of anything religious is blatant discrimination that violates the First Amendment,” said Keisha Russell, Senior Counsel at First Liberty Institute. “The Supreme Court said in the recent Kennedy decision that teachers have the right to engage in personal religious expression under the Free Exercise Clause, including when students are present.”
Marisol has taught in the Connecticut public schools for 32 years. For the last 10 years, she has placed a crucifix by her desk along with other personal items such as student artwork and a church calendar. As a devout Catholic, the crucifix reminds her to pray and helps her remain calm throughout the day as she faithfully teaches her students. On Friday, December 6, 2024, she was brought into a meeting with the vice principal and abruptly told that unless she removed the crucifix by her desk by Monday morning she would be disciplined for insubordination. She was later told she could put the crucifix in a drawer or under her desk, so students wouldn’t see it. After she did so, Marisol started to sob, feeling as though she “hid it under a bushel,” rather than let her light shine. After many tears and prayer, she returned the crucifix to its original location. She was then suspended without pay for two days during the holiday season as the school waited for her to comply and hang the crucifix under her desk in a place the school administration called her “private space.” Now, she is on administrative leave during the grievance process. The school district said it is considering whether to terminate Marisol.
In the personal space next to their desks, other teachers display photos of family and friends, images of Wonder Woman and Baby Yoda, a miniature of the Mona Lisa, New England Patriots football team pennant, inspirational quotes, a photograph of a statue of the Virgin Mary, and a mug referencing a Bible verse.
In the letter, the attorneys explain, “Under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and under the Connecticut Constitution, the District may not abridge its employees’ free speech rights, nor their rights to freely exercise their religion.” The letter continues, “Fewer than three years ago, in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, the Supreme Court held that a public school football coach could not be fired for engaging in personal prayer, even when he did so visibly at the 50-yard line of the stadium after home games. The plaintiff, Coach Kennedy, was represented by First Liberty Institute, co-signatories to this letter, at the district court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court.”
###
About First Liberty Institute
First Liberty Institute is a non-profit public interest law firm and the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans.
To arrange an interview, contact John Manning at media@firstliberty.org or by calling 972-941-4453.
 |
|
|
CASE SUMMARY
PRESS RELEASES
LEGAL DOCUMENTS
PHOTOS AND VIDEO
