An elementary school teacher says she was suspended from her job without pay because of a private social media post she made when she was in her home and off the clock.
Brooke Zahn has taught at Jeffers Pond Elementary School in the Prior Lake-Savage school district since 2016. During that time, she has received multiple teacher of the year awards. However, Zahn filed a federal lawsuit against the district earlier this month which alleged the district violated her First Amendment rights.
On Dec. 1, 2024, Zahn posted a meme in a private Facebook group. The group was called “Prior Lake Light Hearted Conservative Group US,” and the meme depicted a smiling cartoon family with a caption that said “A family that is deported together stays together.”
The elementary school teacher posted the meme from her personal electronic device when she was at home and off the clock.
Further, Zahn’s Facebook profile used her maiden name, Bendorf, and included a disclaimer which said the views she shares represent only her. The “Intro” and “About” sections of her profile did not mention any affiliation with the Prior Lake-Savage school district.
Despite the fact that the meme was posted in a private group, a screenshot of Zahn’s post was later shared online by several people. The lawsuit says “people publicizing Mrs. Zahn’s posting online quickly began identifying her as a teacher in the Prior Lake schools.”
In turn, the district received “approximately 22 emails” from members of the public asking that Zahn be punished for her speech. Zahn’s legal team noted that none of those emails appear to have originated from someone with a child in Zahn’s class.
According to the federal lawsuit, the school district decided to “broadcast the issue much more widely” just days later. First, the principal of Jeffers Pond Elementary allegedly sent an email to a listserv called “Jeffers Pond Families” which discussed “a recent social media post allegedly connected to a staff member.”
The principal also reportedly sent that email to the elementary school’s staff, and the district’s superintendent allegedly shared that email with all district staff.
“[The] decision to call attention to Mrs. Zahn’s posting predictably led to more discussion about it,” says the lawsuit. “Over the next two weeks the District received about 20 emails on the topic.”
Zahn’s legal team once again noted that none of those emails appeared to have originated from a parent with a child in Zahn’s class. However, Zahn’s post was brought up at a school board meeting and “Zahn’s posting continued to spread online” over several weeks.
According to the lawsuit, the district issued a letter to Zahn on Dec. 11 that suspended her without pay for seven days and directed her to undergo “cultural competence and inclusion professional development training.”
The letter reportedly instructed Zahn to comply with the orders or risk additional discipline that could include termination of employment.
“I love my job as a teacher, and I am proud of my right to free speech,” said Zahn in press release about the lawsuit. “The district’s decision to punish me for my private opinions was wrong. I am standing up for my rights as a citizen and to ensure this doesn’t happen to other teachers.”
Represented by the Upper Midwest Law Center (UMLC), Zahn’s lawsuit was filed against the district, the district’s superintendent, and the principal of Jeffers Pond Elementary. The civil complaint says defendants violated Zahn’s First Amendment rights by retaliating against her for speech that was protected.
In turn, Zahn is seeking a declaration which affirms the defendants violated Zahns’ First Amendment rights, an injunction to remove the records of the disciplinary action against Zahn, financial damages, and payment of attorneys’ fees.
Alpha News reached out to the school district, superintendent, and the principal of Jeffers Pond Elementary School for this story. A spokesperson for the district told Alpha News that “the District does not comment on pending litigation.”
The post Lawsuit: School district punished teacher for posting meme in private Facebook group appeared first on Alpha News MN.
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Author: Luke Sprinkel
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