Kansas —
FFRF ensured that a teacher from the Leavenworth USD would no longer be allowed to abuse his position to preach his personal religion and retaliate against a student who did not align with it.
A district parent reported that a chemistry teacher at Leavenworth High School was retaliating against a student for disagreeing with his personal religious beliefs. Reportedly, on Dec. 15, 2025, the teacher lectured his sophomore chemistry class on the bible after the parent’s child made a joke about the “6/7” meme. In response to the student’s joke, the teacher allegedly told students that the “real meaning” of the meme is based on Christianity, and that “6/7 refers to how God created the world on the sixth day and rested on the seventh.”
The parent reported that several days after the incident, the teacher accused their child of cheating on a test and gave the student a “zero” as their grade. After the parent called and spoke to the school’s principal, the teacher changed the student’s grade to a “D.” Further, the teacher had previously told his class that chemistry “proves that God exists” and that he cannot understand why atheists do not believe in God. In previous years, others have reportedly complained about the teacher lecturing students about religion during class.
“Here, [the teacher] has crossed the constitutional line by sermonizing to his students during chemistry class and allegedly retaliating against [the student] for making a joke that he disagreed with on religious grounds,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote to the district.
In response to the letter, the district’s attorney called FFRF directly. He confirmed that the district “thoroughly addressed” the situation and the issue should not happen again. The attorney additionally stated that he was open to any follow-up questions from either FFRF or the parent.
