Federal judge rules fired Weld County principal’s Christian discrimination case can proceed
A federal judge has made a controversial ruling in favor of a former high school principal in Weld County, allowing his claim of religious-based retaliation to move forward.
The ruling, made by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Philip A. Brimmer, means that Brian Littlefield will be able to pursue his case against the school district and its former superintendent, Leslie Arnold.
Alfred A. Arraj U.S. Courthouse stands in downtown Denver, Colorado (Courthouse News).
According to Littlefield, his 2021 termination from Roosevelt High School was the result of discrimination and a targeted campaign by district leadership. He claims that his status as a Christian and a White man played a role in the decision to fire him.
In his ruling, Judge Brimmer found that Littlefield's allegations were valid in regard to Arnold's actions.
After Littlefield spoke to a Christian student group, Arnold amended his previously satisfactory performance evaluation to include negative remarks, including accusations of insubordination, implicit bias, and failure to promote safety and equity. Littlefield also alleges that during a meeting with Arnold and assistant superintendent Cara Anderson, he was reprimanded for his "White privilege" and accused of bias.
Littlefield quickly filed a complaint against Arnold and Anderson, believing he was being targeted for his conservative views.
However, the school district launched an investigation and ultimately found that Littlefield's allegations were unsubstantiated. Instead, they concluded that Littlefield himself had exhibited inappropriate behavior and recommended that he be demoted to a lesser role as "co-principal." Shortly after, both Arnold and Littlefield were fired by the school board.
Littlefield's lawsuit alleges discrimination based on race, sex, and religion, as well as retaliation for exercising his First Amendment right to associate with the Christian Church. While the judge dismissed his claims under Colorado law due to a deficient notice, he allowed the First Amendment claim to proceed against Arnold.
Judge Brimmer did acknowledge that there were some flaws in Littlefield's case.
Fellowship of Christian Athletes video from their website.
He failed to show that Anderson was aware of his affiliation with the Christian Church and therefore could not support his claim of retaliation. However, Brimmer did find that Arnold knew about Littlefield's speech to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and altered his performance review and demoted him shortly afterward. This means Littlefield's retaliation claim will only proceed against Arnold.
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In a separate case, Arnold herself is suing the school district for her termination. She claims that she was fired after standing up to Littlefield's alleged instances of racism, sexism, and homophobia. The school district has motioned to dismiss her case, but the ruling is still pending.
The case, Littlefield v. Weld County School District RE-5J, is ongoing, and many are curious to see how it will play out in court.