Fired Okaloosa County teacher claims religious discussion cost him his job
OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) — Mark Vath was dismissed from his position as an English Language Arts teacher at Laurel Hill School during his probationary period. The day before his dismissal, Vath facilitated a discussion including spirituality.
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The former teacher discussed “Rites of Passage”, which is an event marking an important stage in someone’s life. As the discussion progressed, Vath says students mentioned religious “Rites of Passage”, including examples of Catholicism, Buddhism, and Judaism. One student became upset and left the classroom, followed by others. Vath addressed the incident with the remaining students.
Vath said, “When everybody walked out, I sat on my desk and said, ‘What happened?'”
The following day, Vath was informed he was being relieved of his duties due to parent complaints about the discussion. Despite his attempts to explain that the conversation was relevant to the unit’s theme, he was dismissed. Vath believes that parents were angry because he discussed religions beyond Christianity.
Vath said, “I believe that’s why I was fired — because I did not believe what the majority of the students in my class believed.”
An Okaloosa County School District spokesperson shared a document that confirms Vath was fired, but no explanation was included.
Since he taught in the district for just a year, Vath was still in a probationary period. In the probationary period, the district did not have to offer a reason for his dismissal.
However, Vath alleges that his dismissal violated his First Amendment rights to freedom of religion and speech. He claims that his actions aligned with state guidelines that protect religious viewpoints and the facilitation of such discussions by teachers.
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Vath is seeking acknowledgment of what he views as a violation of his rights and continues to pursue the matter through local channels. The Attorney General’s office has advised Vath to seek assistance from local authorities or consider legal advice.
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