Polk v. Montgomery County Public Schools

Kimberly Polk worked as a substitute teacher for Montgomery County Public Schools. When she logged onto the district’s teacher portal to complete mandatory training, she learned that the district required her to confirm that she would (1) use a student’s preferred pronouns, even when those pronouns are inconsistent with the student’s sex, and (2) keep secret from parents any information that their child identifies as the opposite sex at school, unless the child gives consent. Polk is a Christian with a deeply held belief that every person is created male or female in the image of God and that people cannot change their God-given sex. While Polk was willing to call her students by a preferred name and avoid using pronouns for students who identified as the opposite sex, she couldn’t lie to a child by using a wrong-sex pronoun. Yet, when Polk asked for a religious accommodation, Montgomery County Public Schools refused. As a result, Polk was not allowed to continue teaching in the district.