Indianapolis teacher, ACLU file lawsuit to challenge new K-3 ban on 'human sexuality' education
A new Indiana law that critics say will effectively ban discussions about LGBTQ+ people in schools under the guise of blocking conversations around “human sexuality” now faces a legal challenge.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana Friday on behalf of a public school teacher in Indianapolis who says the law infringes her constitutional rights.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb last month signed into law House Bill 1608, which requires Indiana schools to notify parents when a student asks for name or pronoun changes and prohibits human sexuality instruction to the youngest Hoosier students.
Kayla Smiley, an elementary school teacher in the Indianapolis Public School system, claims in the court challenge that the law poses First Amendment violations for teachers by taking away her “ability to speak as a citizen on matters of public interest and to speak away from work on matters unrelated to her employment and addressed to a public audience.”
The complaint additionally argues that the law is overly broad, given that neither “instruction” nor “human sexuality” is defined.
https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2023/06/09/indianapolis-teacher-aclu-file-lawsuit-to-challenge-new-k-3-ban-on-human-sexuality-education/