BROWNSBURG — Brownsburg Community School Corporation has agreed to pay $650,000 to a former high school orchestra teacher after a nearly eight-year long religious discrimination lawsuit.
John Kluge says the corporation violated his religious rights protected under Title VII by requiring him to use the preferred names and pronouns of transgender students listed in the school's official student database. He says this goes against his beliefs as a Christian.
Initially, Kluge was advised by school officials to address the students by their last names, but several students, teachers and counselors said it made the students uncomfortable and singled them out.
The corporation then told Kluge needed to address the students by their preferred names and pronouns, resign or be fired. In 2018, Kluge resigned and sued the school corporation.
A previous story indicates an Indiana federal judge ruled that Kluge's refusal to use transgender students' names and pronouns created an undue hardship on the district, which is responsible for educating all of its students. The appeals courts agreed.
"This case took a particularly long process because it went up and down to the 7th Circuit several times. And during this time, the Supreme Court clarified what federal law requires employers to do, and it changed the standard in a way that gives employees greater protection for their religious beliefs and religious practices," Travis Barham, Senior Counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom and one of the attorneys representing Kluge, said. "Teachers do not lose their faith when they enter the schoolhouse door. And if a school district pretends otherwise,it's gonna have to pay for it."
School leaders will undergo additional Title VII training along with the settlement.
In response to the settlement, Brownsburg Community School Corporation said the decision to settle was in the best interest of the corporation's financial situation, but "has not wavered in its belief that Mr. Kluge's decision to resign came after the corporation followed its policy and applicable federal law and acted in the best interest of its students."
The district also believes that Mr. Kluge's free speech rights and rights to freely exercise his religion were not infringed.
The full statement provided by Brownsburg Community School Corporation:
In 2018, John Kluge resigned his position with Brownsburg Community School Corporation. The school corporation has not wavered in its belief that Mr. Kluge’s decision to resign came after the school corporation followed its policy and applicable federal laws and acted in the best interest of its students.
During seven years of litigation, multiple federal judges ruled in Brownsburg Schools’ favor and, at the time of settlement, Brownsburg Schools had prevailed on the majority of Mr. Kluge’s legal claims. After the Supreme Court revisited Title VII in 2023, Mr. Kluge’s Title VII claim survived and was heading for trial this spring. After careful and extended deliberation, it was deemed to be in the best interest of Brownsburg Schools’ financial situation to settle this case.
We continue to believe that Mr. Kluge’s free speech rights and his rights to freely exercise his religion were not infringed at Brownsburg Schools.
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