As students in New Britain, Connecticut return to class, one longtime teacher remains sidelined. She fears her career could be over after refusing to remove a crucifix from her classroom.
“I dream about my teaching experience almost every day,” Marisol Arroyo-Castro told Fox News.
“I didn’t realize how much I really love teaching until I couldn’t go back. And the reason I can’t return is just so sad.”
Arroyo-Castro, a devout Catholic, was suspended last December and allegedly “threatened with termination” after declining to take down the crucifix beside her desk. Her attorneys say she was told to resign, retire early, or risk being fired.
First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit religious liberty law firm, and WilmerHale sent a warning letter to the Consolidated School District of New Britain in January. They accused the district of violating her constitutional rights and pressuring her to stay silent.
“It’s pretty clear to me that the school district is not interested in the inclusion of people like Marisol,” said First Liberty senior counsel Keisha Russell on Fox & Friends First. “They told her she could keep it up, but it had to be hidden. That’s completely unacceptable. We’re in America, and a teacher is being punished for her faith.”
Russell said the group plans to “keep the pressure” on the district and would welcome federal involvement. “We know our president is a champion of religious liberty. Hopefully, the decision we’re waiting on from the District Court of Connecticut is favorable. But no matter what, we’re not backing down.”
The school district responded in a statement: “We have continued to operate in good faith and both [Marisol Arroyo-Castro] and her attorneys have declined all of the options put before her. We will continue to follow legal guidance and remain committed to inclusion, neutrality, and respect for all.”
Arroyo-Castro said she never expected her crucifix to spark a fight over her future. “I believe wholeheartedly that I can lose my job for this, but it’s unbelievable to lose it because of my faith. I always had a cross. I never thought it was a problem for anyone.”