Teacher Fired After Alleged Jan. 6 Involvement Wins Wrongful Termination Lawsuit
26th August 2024
A Pennsylvania teacher who was fired for allegedly attending the U.S. Capitol “insurrection” on January 6, 2021, has won a wrongful termination lawsuit after a two-week trial.
Jason Moorehead, a 17-year veteran social studies instructor in the Allentown School District, had always maintained he was “at all times over a mile away” at the Washington Monument when the riot occurred.
But on Jan. 7, the district issued a news release stating a district employee “was involved in the electoral college protest.” In it, Superintendent Thomas Parker did note the district “has an obligation to respect the First Amendment rights of our staff.”
District Solicitor John Freund also had said “only after knowing all the facts” could the district act in a manner that “balances First Amendment rights with the higher standards set for public school teachers.”
These standards include “teachers’ duty not to participate in or advocate un-American or subversive doctrines.”