The Alliance Defending Freedom announced Monday that it filed a lawsuit on behalf of a former Governor's School professor who claims he was fired for opposing "racially divisive ideology."
Dr. David Phillips, a former English instructor at the publicly funded program, accused the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction of unlawful termination in 2021, after he delivered "three optional seminars" which fought back against "critical theory."
"There is no lawful explanation for the way North Carolina public school officials treated Dr. Phillips," ADF Senior Counsel Hal Frampton said of the summer school, which is intended for gifted high school students.
"By firing [Phillips], the Governor's School violated his constitutional right to free speech and unlawfully retaliated against him for deviating from the Governor's School's ideological orthodoxy," added Frampton.
Phillips said his lectures focusing on "the increasing bias and lack of viewpoint diversity in higher education" were met with "open hostility" from a group of students and teachers, who suggested "privilege" clouded his views on race and gender.
Before his abrupt firing, Phillips had taught at the Governor's School for eight summers and was "well-respected" by colleagues, according to the filing.
A spokeswoman for North Carolina's public instruction told the Daily Caller News Foundation the department stands by its decision to terminate Phillips last year.
"Mr. Phillips was an employee of Governor's School during summer 2021. The Department of Public Instruction maintains that it fully complied with all legal requirements. However, as this is a personnel matter, no additional information can be shared at this time," she stated.
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