EDUCATION

This Florida teacher married a woman. Now she’s not a teacher anymore.

By Hannah Natanson
May 19, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. EDT

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But as Solomon’s students made her feel needed, some of her colleagues were doing the opposite. ... Early in the job, one teacher — who figured out Solomon was gay after watching Hayley help Solomon cart supplies into her classroom — told her in the middle of a casual conversation, “I like you as a person, but I don’t support gay marriage.” Stunned, all Solomon could think to say was, “Okay.” ... Some time after that, third-grade teacher Arriete said, another staffer struck up a conversation about Solomon. The woman asked if Arriete knew Solomon was married to a woman, adding that same-sex relations were against her religion and “not right in God’s eyes.” Arriete, whose brother is gay, walked away rather than start an argument.

Later, Arriete nominated Solomon for a “Rookie Teacher of the Year” prize, awarded through a faculty-wide vote. In a biography accompanying her submission, Solomon detailed her marriage to Hayley, as well as her stint working for an LGBTQ rights group. As staff members were sitting down to vote, Arriete said she heard another teacher mutter that she refused to vote for Solomon “because she’s gay.” Arriete looked behind her but couldn’t identify who said it. ... Solomon lost the prize to another teacher who had worked at the school for less than a year, Arriete said. “A lot of people didn’t vote because she is openly gay, and that is wrong,” she said. “I am 100 percent sure she lost because of that.”

Then in fall 2021, when Solomon went to a colleague for advice about a transgender student’s request for a gender-neutral bathroom, the staffer’s face darkened. ... “Let me give you a tip,” the woman said. “Don’t talk about anything LGBT. Don’t do it. Parents can get upset. Don’t do that.” ... Feeling terrified, Solomon did not think of protesting. “Oh,” she said, “sure.”

Asked about these incidents, Miami-Dade schools spokeswoman Jaquelyn Calzadilla wrote in a statement Wednesday that the school district has policies “that expressly prohibit discrimination and harassment” and that the school board “strives to provide a workplace and educational environment free from” both. She noted that Miami-Dade “has never required, either directly or indirectly, that teachers in same-sex marriages refrain from mentioning or acknowledging their marriages in class.” ... Five months later, Florida made Solomon’s colleague’s suggestion into state law.

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Gift Article
https://wapo.st/3MxKDLt

By Hannah Natanson
Hannah Natanson is a reporter covering education and K-12 schools in Virginia. Twitter https://twitter.com/hannah_natanson