The Freedom From Religion Foundation is celebrating a major victory for secular public education after a federal judge in Connecticut ruled that a teacher was not entitled to display a Christian crucifix on her public classroom wall.

In Arroyo-Castro v. Gasper, U.S. District Judge Sarah F. Russell issued a detailed opinion rejecting claims by longtime teacher Marisol Arroyo-Castro that her free speech and religious exercise rights were violated when she was instructed to remove a nearly foot-high crucifix she prominently displayed on a wall near her desk at DiLoreto Middle School in New Britain, Conn.

The court correctly found that Arroyo-Castro was acting in her capacity as a government employee when she decorated her classroom, meaning her religious display constituted government speech — not private expression. The judge further ruled that the district acted reasonably to avoid violating the Establishment Clause by preventing a teacher from displaying a Christian symbol to a captive audience of students during instructional time.

“This decision is a victory for every student’s right to a public education free from religious pressure or indoctrination,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “A public school classroom is a place for learning, not for preaching. Author Ruth Hurmence Green has referred to crosses as ‘Christian torture symbols,’ and this is particularly true of crucifixes depicting a writhing human form. It is not only shocking for a public school teacher to affix such a sectarian symbol on a classroom wall, but it is also highly insensitive.”

Gaylor also pointed out that the actions of the teacher, who is Catholic, show a clear preference for Roman Catholicism since crucifixes are the predominant Catholic symbol although some non-Catholic Christians use the crucifix. The vast majority of Connecticut citizens are not Catholic, but even if they were, the constitutional separation between religion and government clearly interdicts such a display in a public classroom.

The case arose after Arroyo-Castro refused repeated requests from administrators to remove the crucifix, even after being told she could keep it in a private space, such as inside a desk or car. When she defied those directives, the district placed her on paid leave. Assisted by the Christian nationalist legal group First Liberty Institute, Arroyo-Castro sued the district earlier this year.

The court concluded that allowing the crucifix to remain “runs a substantial risk of incurring a violation of the Establishment Clause.” It clarified that the Supreme Court’s 2022 Kennedy v. Bremerton ruling — which allowed a football coach to pray privately after games on a high school football field — did not apply. As Judge Russell explained, “Unlike the students in Kennedy, who were engaged in other activities while the coach prayed, Ms. Castro’s students received the religious message when they were required to be present in the classroom receiving instruction from Ms. Castro.”

In September, the district released a report by an independent investigator detailing concerns from students and staff about Arroyo-Castro’s religious conduct in the classroom. According to the report, Arroyo-Castro reprimanded students by saying things like, “I hope papa God helps you with your lies” and “Go find God.” The investigation concluded that her behavior made many students uncomfortable and that her repeated use of religious language in a public school setting created an environment that alienated much of her class.

FFRF commends the Consolidated School District of New Britain for upholding its constitutional duty despite outside pressure and for providing a model of how public officials should respond to similar state/church violations.

“This teacher wasn’t punished for being Christian,” Gaylor emphasizes. “She was disciplined for putting her personal faith above the law and her students’ rights. The court rightly reminded her — and all public employees — that no one’s faith gives them permission to violate student rights or blur the wall between church and state.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with 42,000 members nationwide, including more than 500 members in Connecticut. FFRF’s purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between church and state, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.

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