East Lee teacher suspended for sharing religious views

A JROTC instructor from East Lee County High School has been suspended without pay and could lose his job for sharing his religious beliefs on gender identity during class.

The teacher, Angel Villanueva, was reported for misconduct on May 13 after stating his personal views to students. This is the same date the Obama administration sent a letter to public schools warning they could lose out on federal funding if transgender students aren’t allowed to use the bathrooms and locker rooms of their choice.

Villanueva reportedly talked about “the sexual preference of individuals and professed that those who do not agree with him are wrong and would regret their lifestyle and suffer consequences later on in life,” Lee County school board documents show.

This conduct, the document continues, “unreasonably denied students access to diverse points of view, exposed students to unnecessary embarrassment and disparagement, and was unbecoming of a school district employee.”

On June 28, the instructor and his attorney met with district staff to respond to the allegations, with staff making a recommendation in a July 18 letter that the JROTC teacher be fired at an upcoming board meeting.

The letter states that Villanueva was suspended without pay, effective June 20.

He has requested that an administrative law judge review the allegations at a hearing. Because of this, the superintendent is asking the school board to continue Villanueva's suspension until it receives a decision from the judge.

Their decision will be made during a 2 o'clock meeting Tuesday. Villanueva has worked for the district since 2002.

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