Ohio Teacher Suspended for Keeping the Feast of Tabernacles Wins Religious Freedom Victory

Ohio Teacher Wins Religious Freedom Battle After School District Suspended Her for Observing the Feast of Tabernacles

The Salem City School District in Salem, Ohio, has reversed the suspension of science teacher Shawnae Carlisle and agreed to accommodate her religious observances going forward, after the religious liberty law firm First Liberty Institute intervened on her behalf.

Carlisle, a member of the Church of God, was suspended for five days in October after she took unpaid leave to observe the Feast of Tabernacles, a holy day she celebrates annually along with four additional religious observances throughout the school year.

The suspension came despite Carlisle having received accommodations for these religious holidays throughout her entire 15 year teaching career at Southeast Elementary School. She had always ensured a substitute teacher was available to cover her classes during her absence.

Salem City School District's actions demonstrate how all school districts can and should respect their religious employees.

That statement came from Cliff Martin, Senior Counsel at First Liberty Institute, following the district's reversal.

First Liberty Institute sent a demand letter to the school district arguing that its treatment of Carlisle "did not comport with its treatment of other teachers in the school," calling the district's actions "arbitrary and inconsistent."

The legal firm also pointed out that Carlisle's request was for unpaid leave, meaning the district bore no financial burden from accommodating her faith. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, employers are required to reasonably accommodate employees' sincerely held religious beliefs unless doing so would cause undue hardship.

After receiving First Liberty's letter, the Salem City School District reversed its prior suspension and agreed to allow Carlisle to take unpaid leave for her religious observances going forward. The agreement came five months after the original suspension.

Ben Flowers, an attorney at Ashbrook Byrne Kresge Flowers LLC who also worked on the case, helped represent Carlisle alongside First Liberty Institute.

Salem City Schools Reverse Course on Teacher's Religious Liberty After Legal Pressure From First Liberty Institute

This case highlights a growing trend of religious employees facing pushback for practices that were previously accommodated without issue. Legal experts say that the 2023 Supreme Court decision in Groff v. DeJoy strengthened protections for religious workers by raising the bar for what constitutes "undue hardship" under Title VII.

First Liberty Institute has represented numerous teachers and school employees in similar religious accommodation disputes across the country, consistently arguing that public school districts must respect the constitutional and statutory rights of their employees to observe their faith.

The Crusader's Opinion

Fifteen years. This woman observed her faith for fifteen years without a single problem. Then one day, a bureaucrat decides her God given right to worship is an inconvenience. She wasn't asking for a paid vacation. She was asking for unpaid leave to honor the Lord on His holy day, and they suspended her for it.

Let's be clear: if a Muslim teacher requested time off for Eid, there would be zero pushback. If a secular teacher wanted a personal day, nobody would blink. But a Christian woman honoring the Feast of Tabernacles? That gets you a five day suspension in America.

Thank God for organizations like First Liberty Institute who refuse to let these injustices stand. The district caved the moment they realized they'd have to defend their hypocrisy in court. That tells you everything you need to know about their position.

Take Action

• Support First Liberty Institute's mission to defend religious freedom for teachers and students at firstliberty.org/donate
• Know your rights as a religious employee in public schools. Download First Liberty's free legal protection resources at firstliberty.org/about-schools
• If you or someone you know has been punished for exercising religious beliefs at work, contact First Liberty Institute's legal intake at firstliberty.org/get-help or call (972) 941-4444
• Share this story with your church community and encourage conversations about religious liberty protections in the workplace
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