In a notable legal development, a U.S. district court judge has thrown out a lawsuit from an Ohio elementary school teacher who faced punishment over LGBTQ+ books in her classroom library.
The case: What happened?
Karen Cahall, a third-grade math and science teacher with more than three decades under her belt at New Richmond Exempted Village School District, found herself suspended without pay last November. Why? Because a parent complained about four LGBTQ+ themed books tucked among her collection in class.
The books that caused all this fuss were "Ana on The Edge" by A.J. Sass, "The Fabulous Zed Watson" by Basil Sylvester, "Hazel Bly and The Deep Blue Sea" by Ashley Herring Blake, and "Too Bright To See" by Kyle Lukoff. While these stories aren't explicit, officials argued they violated a school policy on controversial issues, which loosely defines anything sparking both cheers and jeers from folks as controversial.
Superintendent Tracey Miller sent a disciplinary note pointing out Cahall knew these books were a touchy subject. Her previous attempt at getting them in through official channels was rebuffed, suggesting Cahall bypassed normal procedures by simply adding them herself.
Feeling wronged, Cahall took legal action against her district. She challenged their "controversial issues" policy as being confusingly vague and accused them overstepping her Fourteenth Amendment rights.
Legal wrangling and court verdict
Cahall argued she was in trouble simply because she believed every student deserves acceptance, LGBTQ+ kiddos included. She figured that controversy surrounding these topics was damaging students' emotional health, which motivated her book choices.
But on September 29, Judge Douglas Cole sided with school officials. He pointed out that Cahall was indeed aware that those books were marked controversial.
Judge Cole stated, "There really isn't any doubt that Cahall recognized bringing LGBTQ+-themed books would stir up some issues. She admitted adding them precisely because controversy around these topics could harm LGBTQ+ kids emotionally in her class.”
In addition, Judge Cole tossed out Cahall's Equal Protection claim, remarking that her argument might've been stronger had she alleged that religious texts were allowed but similar content was limited. Her claim didn't cover that angle.
While Cahall's Equal Protection and Free Exercise claims were dismissed without prejudice, meaning she could return and fight those later, her challenge against how “controversial issues” are defined got dismissed with prejudice, so she'll need an appeal if she wants another go at that policy.
What's ahead?
Despite losing this round in court, Cahall, who has been gathering support via GoFundMe, isn't done yet. She's weighing her options and considering an appeal. She'll need that filed by October's end if she wants her case back on track.
Though there was some chatter about her retiring in January 2025, Cahall's love and passion as a teacher hasn't wavered. "Being in class with my students, it really feels like where I belong," she shared.
Her ongoing fight shines a light on debates over educational content and inclusivity in schools, and how LGBTQ+ themes are presented — a conversation that isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
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