Teachers Win Major Legal Victories Against Woke School Districts--American Teachers Alliance (ATA) Provides Protection Nationwide

Teachers Are Terrified to Speak—ATA Is Giving Them a Voice and Legal Protection

RALEIGH, N.C., Nov. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Teachers Alliance (ATA), a national nonprofit founded in 2021 by educator Amy Marshall, M.Ed., is sounding the alarm on a growing crisis: teachers across the country are being silenced, punished, or pushed out of their careers for refusing to participate in politically driven trainings and ideologies.

A Crisis in the Classroom

Teachers today face increasing strain—low pay, healthcare costs, burnout, and administrative demands—but many also face something more troubling: harassment or retaliation for declining politically biased trainings or viewpoints.

Marshall experienced this firsthand at Wake County Public Schools, North Carolina's largest district, after declining a race-based CRT training. She was harassed by administrators, downgraded on her evaluation, and ordered to sit after school to read a CRT book aloud as "detention." Marshall resigned and created ATA so other educators would not endure the same treatment.

"Teachers should never be forced to choose between their values and their careers," Marshall said. "ATA was built to give teachers a voice—and legal protection—when their rights are violated."

ATA's Educator Protection Plan

ATA provides immediate legal and professional protection the day members join. Coverage includes:

• Up to $3 million in liability protection
  
  
• Reimbursed attorneys' fees
  
  
• Coverage for teachers, substitutes, professors, assistants, bus drivers, school office staff, and more across Pre-K to higher education

"Our members know they are no longer alone," Marshall said. "They have real protection when it matters most."

Real Stories: Teachers Retaliated Against for Personal Beliefs

"National teacher labor unions like the NEA and AFT promote CRT and gender-ideology in public schools. When teachers stay in those unions, their dues bankroll the very programs creating these problems. They can stop supporting that agenda by switching to ATA," said Marshall. ATA is assisting teachers nationwide who report retaliation for constitutionally protected speech or refusal to participate in ideological programs.

One veteran teacher with a spotless career faced harsh punishment after posting two pro-American Facebook posts on her private account. She was interrogated, downgraded, and exiled to a moldy trailer. ATA connected her with an attorney; her record was restored and her job reinstated.

"These cases are not isolated," Marshall noted. "They represent a disturbing pattern in public education."

Legal Victories Highlight the Trend

National cases show courts increasingly siding with teachers who have been punished for ideological non-compliance:

• Peter Vlaming v. West Point School Board (Virginia, 2024) : Teacher won ~$575,000 after being fired over pronoun usage.
  
  
• Geraghty v. Jackson Local School District (Ohio, 2022–2024): Teacher awarded $450,000 after being forced to resign for refusing to socially transition a minor student without parental consent.

"These rulings reinforce what ATA stands for," Marshall said. "Teachers have constitutional rights, and districts cannot violate them."

DEI and Gender Policies Over Academics

Despite federal pressure to curb DEI ideology in education, districts continue to fund programs that divert training time away from academics:

• Oakland Unified spent over $40,000 on consultants teaching educators to "unlearn whiteness."
  
  
• Providence, RI instructs teachers on hiding student gender identities from parents.
  
  
• Newton Public Schools (MA) mandates both racial affinity groups and gender-affirming guidance in staff training.

"These trainings have become political—not educational," Marshall said.

Academic Decline Mirrors the Shift

The 2025 Nation's Report Card revealed U.S. students testing at historic lows across all K–12 subjects. ATA argues that the shift toward political training contributes to declining academic performance.

"Teachers are being trained in ideology instead of instruction," Marshall said. "Our students are paying the price."

A Call to Action

ATA urges educators facing coercive trainings or retaliation to seek support before problems escalate.

"Our mission is simple," Marshall said. "Protect educators, preserve values, and strengthen America's classrooms. No teacher should be punished for their beliefs. And no child should be deprived of an excellent, unbiased education."

About the American Teachers Alliance (ATA)

The American Teachers Alliance (ATA) is a national, non-union 501(c)4 membership association for educators and school staff, providing a principled alternative to politically charged teachers' unions. ATA provides professional educators liability insurance and legal protection, plus unique member benefits such as American Teacher Magazine, Timeless Tales Book Club, a home buying and selling program, and advocacy. ATA is dedicated to protecting educators' ability to provide an unbiased academically sound education to all students and keeps America's classrooms focused on education—not politics. Learn more at https://americanteachers.me

SOURCE American Teachers Alliance Inc.