First-grade teacher threatened with termination for refusing to read LGBT-themed book: attorneys

Christian Post ^ | February 22, 2026 | Samantha Kamman

[Engraved-on-His-hands]

A first-grade teacher in Nashville, Tennessee, claims that he was threatened with termination and reassigned to a new position after requesting religious accommodations to avoid reading books to children that promote same-sex marriage, which would have conflicted with his beliefs about marriage and sexuality.

Eric Rivera is a devout Christian who taught first-grade students at KIPP Antioch College Prep Elementary School, according to a Wednesday statement from the First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit public interest law firm. KIPP is a public charter school that operates under the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Sue the POS “skrewl”.

[No name given]

It’s like Jack Phillips all over again.

[ProgressingAmerica]

“Eric Rivera, what are you doing in jail?”

“What are you doing out there??” Eric replied

Thoreau was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

[butlerweave]

GROOMING CHILDREN

[Bon of Babble]

You think they’d demand, and threaten to fire, a Muslim teacher who refused to read books about LGBTQ issues to children?

[BenLurkin]

Close the public schools. They do way more harm than good.

[drypowder]

That kind of LGBQT stuff doesn’t pass as educating the students, clearly it’s indoctrination and does not belong in a classroom. Neither does that teacher.

[bray]

Dems are extremely tolerant of everyone they agree with.

[Blennos]

You think they’d demand, and threaten to fire, a Muslim teacher who refused to read books about LGBTQ issues to children?

Of course not.

[chopperk]

Proves one thing,, school is run by homos who want to flaunt their objective.

[hanamizu]

Sorry, but the school’s name, ‘KIPP Antioch College Prep Elementary Schoo’l, is a tell.

[Jan_Sobieski]

Shut down all public schools. Give us our tax money back

[NetAddicted]

What’s the tell? The fact that an elementary school is college prep?

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Whoever ordered those books read should be executed. I will not back off of that point of view. Come and get me. All of this MUST be ENDED.

[spincaster]

Sue them till you could drive a truck in their ass!

[econjack]

I wonder if the Civil Liberties Union will be involved in this.

[hanamizu]

The tell is the pretentiousness of the school’s name. I’m surprised they didn’t get ‘academy’ in there. Even a high school that bills itself as ‘college prep’ I find a bit suspicious.

[yldstrk]

I wouldn’t read that crap either.

[T.B. Yoits]

Give it time and the teacher can read the arrest reports for child molestation by the school administrators who are pushing this.