COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The Ohio Supreme Court won’t reconsider its decision upholding the dismissal of a public school science instructor who refused to remove religious materials from his classroom.
The court denied John Freshwater’s request for reconsideration in a split decision Wednesday. The court previously ruled the Mount Vernon district had grounds to fire Freshwater in 2011 for insubordination for keeping religious books and a poster of a praying president.
Freshwater’s attorneys argued the court wrongly interpreted his attempts to deal with what they called vague requests from administrators with flat-out insubordination.
Attorney Rita Dunaway says they’re disappointed and considering their legal options.
Three justices dissented Wednesday, saying the case could be a basis for districts to fire teachers for insignificant reasons. Their opinion says evidence against Freshwater wasn’t sufficient to establish insubordination.
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