A former track coach is fighting to get his job back, claiming the school district violated his free speech rights after he fired him, and a federal judge in the case may agree.
John Parks is taking legal action after he was allegedly fired from Lake Oswego High School for sending a letter to Oregon officials regarding laws related to transgender athletes.
The Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) says students can compete based on their “consistently asserted gender identity.”
Additionally, OSAA rules state that “Once a transgender student notifies the school of his or her gender identity, the student must consistently identify as that gender if the student is eligible to participate in athletics or activities. For activities, students may not participate in teams of different genders during the same season.
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John Parks coached girls track and field at Lake Oswego High School in Oregon. (Fox News)
In May, Parks sent a letter to the OSAA encouraging states to adopt a transgender athlete policy similar to World Swimming by creating an open division where “all genders and gender identities” can compete. did. He also sent letters to state Sen. Rob Wagner, including one after winning the Oregon state championship. In her letter, Parks argued that current state laws have a negative impact on women's sports.
During Friday's hearing, Parks' attorney said the district's decision to fire Parks after the email was a “violation of free speech” and that Parks should be “reinstated to his job,” according to Oregon Live. said.
U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon said during the hearing that he believed the email.[fell] within the scope of protected speech by private individuals. ”
Parks is seeking a court order to return to her job as the school's track coach and special education assistant while the lawsuit is pending. However, the school district says he was not fired. His temporary contract had expired and the school was not required to extend it, he said.
Track and field runners warming up. (John Walton/PA Image via Getty Images)
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“Director Parks was subjected to retaliation and falsely accused of discriminatory conduct simply for exercising his constitutional right to free speech as a private citizen,” Buck Dougherty, senior counsel at the Liberty Justice Center, said in a July statement. “I was given a disciplinary action, my appeal was rejected, and I was fired.” . ”
A spokesperson for the Lake Oswego School District previously confirmed that Parks is no longer employed by the district. The district was unable to further investigate the circumstances surrounding Parks' departure.
John Parks, former Oregon high school track coach. (out kick)
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McDaniel High School transgender runner Aiden Gallagher won the Oregon 6A state title in the 200-meter dash by two-tenths of a second, beating one of Parks' runners in another race. Lake Oswego won the team state championship under Parks' coaching.
Fox News' Lindsey Cornick, Ryan Gaydos and Chants Martin contributed to this report.
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