Salem City School District in Ohio granted a longtime teacher the ability to observe additional holy days last week, recognizing her rights under the First Amendment.
Shawnae Carlisle, who has taught at the district for 15 years, is a member of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association — a small coalition of churches that marks Old Testament holidays, which Christian denominations have historically not done.
But Carlisle has been requesting these days off from work for years without issue — until the district rejected her request for time off for the Feast of Tabernacles in October.
First Liberty, which represented Carlisle, said that district officials were “giving arbitrary and inconsistent reasons for why she could not attend the Feast of Tabernacles.”
Carlisle took the days off anyway — and was sanctioned as a result.
“Ms. Carlisle was unwilling to jeopardize her faith and continued to secure substitute coverage so
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