Posted on 06/26/2023 6:52:31 PM PDT by marshmallow
London, England, Jun 20, 2023 / 09:15 am A Christian mother of two who was fired from her role as a school pastoral assistant for social media posts concerning sex education has won a legal appeal against the school’s decision.
Kristie Higgs had worked at the Church of England Farmor’s School in Fairford, Gloucestershire, for six years when an anonymous complaint about her posts on Facebook in October 2018 led to her being suspended and eventually fired for “gross misconduct” the following January.
In October 2020, the Bristol Employment Tribunal ruled that Higgs had not suffered discrimination or harassment; however, on Friday, June 16, the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled that the case should be reconsidered.
The president of the Employment Appeal Tribunal, Dame Jennifer Eady, supported Higgs’ appeal against the decision, saying: “The freedom to manifest belief (religious or otherwise) and to express views relating to that belief are essential rights in any democracy, whether or not the belief in question is popular or mainstream and even if its expression may offend.”
Eady said that the judges had not assessed, as they were required by law, whether the investigation and dismissal of Higgs “were prescribed by law and were necessary for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others, recognizing the essential nature of [Higgs’] rights to freedom of belief and freedom of expression.”
Reacting to the verdict on Friday, Higgs said: “From the beginning, despite the many attempts by the school to suggest otherwise, this has always been about my Christian beliefs and me being discriminated against for expressing them in my own time.”
Screenshots of two posts on Higgs’ personal Facebook page were submitted to the school in the fall of 2018.
The first post by Higgs involved her sharing a protest petition about a government consultation.......
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicnewsagency.com ...
I’m so glad she won.
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