‘Non-binary’ teacher refuses to teach conservative school board director’s son, cites ‘safety concerns’

• A “non-binary” teacher in Washington reportedly objected to teaching the 10-year-old son of a school board director who supported a resolution protecting girls’ sports, citing personal safety concerns.

• The student’s father, Casey Taylor, withdrew his son and filed a misconduct complaint, prompting an external investigation.

• The investigation confirmed the teacher, TJ Thornton, expressed concerns tied to the family’s beliefs but ultimately ruled Taylor’s complaint unsubstantiated, citing lack of proof that Thornton refused to teach the child because of a difference in political beliefs.

• Taylor has since filed a new discrimination and retaliation complaint, as well as a $1.15M tort claim for emotional distress and private schooling costs.

A Washington teacher who identifies as “non-binary” is reportedly objecting to teaching the 10-year-old child of a school board director who has supported protecting girls’ sports from “transgender” participation and is citing personal safety concerns as the reason for the refusal to have the student in class.

In a Substack article, Alesha Perkins, a writer who focuses on public education, reported that TJ Thornton reportedly went to the principal of a school in the Tumwater School District earlier this year and raised concerns over Director Casey Taylor’s son being present in the class. The reluctance to teach Taylor’s son appeared to stem from a February school board resolution which stated that only true females should play on girls’ sports teams — a motion that Taylor had voted for.

According to Perkins, Taylor withdrew his son from the school and filed a formal misconduct complaint against Thornton in August. In response, the district commissioned an external investigation of the complaint, which confirmed that Thornton had told the principal that Thornton felt unsafe due to Taylor’s son’s presence in the class.

“…their [Thornton’s] concern was that Mr. Taylor may have ‘some transphobia’ because he did not support transgender athletes,” the September investigation report reads in part, according to Perkins. “They also said they had requested a meeting with (the principal) to discuss developing a policy or practice to help mitigate the placement of students in their class who come from families that do not support LGBTQIA+ identities.”

Perkins reported, “Despite what appears to be a full admission that Thornton sought to avoid having the student in their classroom based on the perceived personal beliefs of the child’s parent, the investigator deemed the allegations unsubstantiated.”

According to Perkins’ Substack, the investigator’s report says that it could not be proven that Thornton refused to teach Taylor’s son “because of different political views” and adds that “Mx. Thornton’s concerns were based on previous negative experiences with parents in general.”

Taylor reportedly filed a new formal complaint Nov. 30 with the school district’s human resources department and the district superintendent, alleging discrimination and retaliation, among other claims. He also reportedly has filed a tort claim for $1.15 million, citing private tuition costs, emotional distress for himself, his wife, and son, and retaliation for his beliefs on transgenderism.