Please Follow us on Gab, Minds, Telegram, Rumble, Gettr, Truth Social, Twitter
A teacher in the Consolidated School District of New Britain has found herself placed on leave for refusing to remove a crucifix that had apparently been beside her desk for the last ten years.
Marisol Arroyo-Castro, a 32-year veteran teacher in Connecticut schools who happens to be Catholic, was told in December to remove the religious symbol from her workspace at DiLoreto Elementary & Middle School or else she would be disciplined for insubordination.
Fox News revealed that First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit religious liberty law firm, and WilmerHale, a legal firm, had sent a warning letter on January 21, 2025, accusing the district of violating the constitutional rights of their client, Castro.
First Liberty pointed out in the letter that Castro is not the only teacher to have personal items, including religious ones, at her workspace in the school.
Castro was allegedly told she could hang the crucifix in a less visible spot under her desk--a shocking idea that upset Castro--so she refused to comply, and was eventually suspended for two days for insubordination.
According to Fox News, Castro was subsequently placed on paid leave after she told the district that she could not, in good conscience, hang her crucifix under her desk.
New Britain Superintendent Dr. Tony Gasper issued a statement in response to First Liberty's letter that argued the crucifix had been prominently displayed on the front wall of Castro's public-school classroom "which violates both federal and state laws requiring public schools to remain neutral in religious matters."
Gasper argued that the placement of the crucifix "infringes on the religious freedoms of our diverse student population" and alleged the teacher had been "incorporating her personal religious beliefs into her instruction."
“We will not allow any teacher to use their position of authority to impose their personal religious beliefs or infringe on the civil rights of our students,” said Gasper. “Our commitment is to ensure a learning environment where all students and staff feel respected and valued, regardless of their faith or beliefs.”
The irony of Gasper's statement is profound, considering that in June, for the fourth year in a row, the Board of Education unanimously adopted a pride resolution; a pride flag was also raised at the high school.
The pride resolution effectively allowed the Board of Education and the Consolidated School District of New Britain to impose personal religious beliefs onto the entire school community, signaling to devout Catholics and Muslims, for instance, that their religious views are not respected or valued by the district.
