Kristie Higgs, a teacher who claimed her termination was due to her Christian beliefs, has secured the right for senior judges to hear her appeal. In 2019, Farmor’s School in Fairford, Gloucestershire, terminated Higgs, 47, for gross misconduct.
Higgs’ dismissal followed Facebook posts criticizing plans to introduce LGBT+ relationship education in primary schools. Backed by the Christian Legal Centre, Higgs brought the school to an employment tribunal. She asserted that her Christian beliefs led to unlawful discrimination.
Furthermore, she argued her case. She contended that her dismissal was because of her Christian beliefs, as she opposed the curriculum changes. However, the school denied allegations of terminating the mother of two based on her religious beliefs.
The school claimed that her dismissal resulted from the language used in her Facebook posts. Higgs, on the other hand, maintained her stance. Despite the school’s attempts to suggest otherwise, the teacher insisted her termination was because of her beliefs. Moreover, she said it was also about the discrimination faced for expressing them personally.
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In its 2020 ruling, the tribunal acknowledged Higgs’ religion as a “protected characteristic” under the Equality Act. Regardless, it still deemed the school’s dismissal of her as unlawful. Following this initial ruling, Higgs filed an appeal with the Employment Appeal Tribunal in London.
Of course, they sided with her and sent the case to an employment tribunal for a new assessment. Displeased with the decision to conduct a new evaluation, the teacher’s legal team contested the ruling. Subsequently, they obtained the right to present her case before the Court of Appeal Judges. This was with the aim of the hearing occurring later this year.
Higgs further approved of the upcoming hearing. “From the beginning, despite the many attempts by the school to suggest otherwise, this has always been about my beliefs,” she stated. “Moreover, it has always been about me being discriminated against for expressing them in my own time.”
“I was, and still am, appalled by the sexual ideology that was introduced to my son’s Church of England primary school,” Higgs continued. “This has happened since in schools with extreme RSE (relationships and sex education) and transgender ideology. And it shows that I was right to be concerned as a parent.”
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Higgs, from Fairford, Gloucestershire, shared and commented on posts about relationship education at her son’s primary school. The curriculum involved teaching the “No Outsiders in Our School program,” a series of books to educate primary school students about the Equality Act.
In October 2018, the teacher shared two posts, reaching approximately 100 friends. One of the posts raised concerns about “brainwashing our children.” Following an anonymous complaint to the school, the teacher faced suspension. Subsequently, she also faced dismissal for gross misconduct after a disciplinary hearing.
Andrea Williams, the Christian Legal Center’s chief executive, said it was impossible to sustain the upheld sacking judgment. She stated, “In what should have been a cut-and-dry case of discrimination, it has been unnerving to encounter the series of obstacles blocking Kristie from securing justice.”
She continued, “We now press on in this important case. The Court of Appeal listening to Kristie’s is a huge moment for Christian freedoms. And the freedom of any employee to be able to express opposition to LGBT+ ideology without fear of losing their jobs.”
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