CT teacher put on leave for refusing to remove crucifix has still not settled lawsuit

A Connecticut teacher put in a “rubber room” for refusing to remove a cross from her desk says she is still being crucified.

Marisol Arroyo-Castro’s case is being closely watched by both advocates of religious freedom and those seeking strict separation of church and state. 

On Wednesday, the grade-school educator and her lawyers participated in a three-hour mediation with the New Britain district’s lawyers, superintendent and a judge, but weren’t able to come to an agreement.

Her fate now rests in the hands of a judge, and Castro fears she could be fired or remain in a rubber room when the school year begins on Aug. 19.

“It’s a little bit nerve-wracking, especially when school is starting again soon,” Castro, 62, told The Post on Thursday.

The 33-year veteran teacher was taken out of her seventh-grade classroom at DiLoreto Elementary and Middle School in mid-December for refusing to remove the 12-inch wooden crucifix on a classroom wall by the side of her desk.

Castro, a devout Catholic, had the cross displayed there for a decade.

“I had it for 10 years and never a problem . . . And then one day I got a message [from the vice principal] saying that I needed to take it down,” Castro said.

“He said that it was against the Constitution when I asked why.”

The vice principal said he got a complaint from two people — never revealing who — and she was asked to move the crucifix to a new location under her desk.

She did this for one day.

“I went home and cried for the whole night. And then I came back in the morning and I moved it” back to the classroom wall, she recalled.

The principal then told her she had until the end of the day to put it back under the desk, but she refused.

“When I came back the next day, somebody else removed it and put it in a box, and they told me not to return to the classroom,” she said. “A representative from the union escorted me out of the building.”

In March, after over two months of being on paid administrative leave, she was sent to an administrative office, where she is assigned demeaning clerical tasks under the title “curriculum information teacher.”

“They assigned me some work related to developing curriculum, which I’m not trained in. They gave me a computer and a cubicle and told me to sit down. They didn’t introduce me to anybody or anything. No one talked to me,” she said.

Castro has been working at DiLoreto Elementary and Middle School since 2003 — and has seen gay pride flags proudly displayed in the building, as well as personal items around other teachers’ desks, including a photo of the Virgin Mary and a mug decorated with a Bible quote.

“They have pictures of their family, and to me, Jesus is my father,” she said. “Pictures of their dogs. The Patriots sign. The Yankees sign. They even have Christmas trees.

“Somebody had a Baby Yoda. I think there’s a Wonder Woman somewhere. All kinds of things,” added attorney Keisha Russell of the nonprofit First Liberty Institute, who is representing Castro.

Russell cited the case Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, where the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Washington high school football coach Joe Kennedy praying on the field after games, as precedent for free religious expression in schools.

Castro got emotional when she spoke about the support she’s received from other teachers at the school as well as her former students.

“I have had a lot of teachers get in touch with me secretly because they were told not to. And they have just said that they’re praying for me. And even students have contacted me in church. They say they’re praying for me.”

She hopes President Trump weighs in on the situation.

“That would be wonderful because we know that our president is fully committed to religious liberty,” Russell added.

The New Britain School District says it’s just following laws separating church and state.

“Since last fall, the district has attempted to reach an accommodation with Ms. Castro that respects her
personal religious faith, the diverse religious beliefs of our many middle-school students, and the commands of the Constitution,” Dr. Tony Gasper, district superintendent, said. “From the start, this teacher has insisted on displaying a crucifix on a classroom wall, visible to children in class, during instructional time.

“While we regret the spectacle that this situation has caused, we look forward to a ruling from the court. Meanwhile, the district will continue to focus on providing an effective learning environment in which all students and staff feel respected and valued.”