Judge: Hartford Teacher’s Free-Speech Lawsuit Over DEI Training Can Proceed
September 10, 2025, Hartford Ct.—In an order with significant First Amendment implications, a federal judge has ruled that former Hartford teacher John Grande’s lawsuit against the Board of Education and certain school officials can move forward.
Grande, who recently retired after more than 30 years in the classroom, sued the Hartford school district after he was disciplined for criticizing a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training. In 2020, he attended a racial and gender “privilege” training and, when asked for his opinion, expressed disagreement, saying: “I was just man-bashed and white-shamed. I’m gonna sit here quietly.” School administrators launched an investigation, issued a written reprimand, required him to undergo “sensitivity awareness” training, and even threatened him with possible termination.
This week, Judge Sarah Russell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut rejected the defendants’ attempt to end the case through summary judgment. The court held that Grande’s comments “were not simply personal grievances” but instead raised broader matters of social and political concern. His views, Russell wrote, cannot be silenced simply because his colleagues disagreed or took offense:
“In order for the State in the person of school officials to justify prohibition of a particular expression of opinion, it must be able to show that its action was caused by something more than a mere desire to avoid the discomfort and unpleasantness that always accompany an unpopular viewpoint.”
Importantly, the court also denied qualified immunity to two school officials—a hotly contested issue in federal courts—meaning Grande can continue seeking to hold them personally accountable in court.
“All I did was speak honestly when asked to share my opinion. But I was punished because my opinion was unpopular to the powers that be,” said Grande. “Teachers should be able to speak about important—even controversial—topics without fear of retaliation when they do so as citizens. This ruling means I continue to have the chance to prove in court that the school district violated my First Amendment rights.”
“This opinion is a powerful reminder that teachers don’t leave behind their First Amendment rights when they enter the schoolhouse door,” said Nathan McGrath, president and general counsel of the Fairness Center. “This ruling makes clear that John gets his day in court—and rejects the idea that school district administrators get a free pass to hide behind qualified immunity while they punish teachers who express unpopular views.”
This was not Grande’s first legal victory. In 2023, Grande won an unfair labor practice charge against Hartford’s teachers’ union, the Hartford Federation of Teachers, which refused to take a related grievance to arbitration because he was not a union member. Connecticut’s labor board determined that the union, which Grande believes supported the “privilege” training at issue here, illegally discriminated against him based on his membership status and called its defense “wholly frivolous.” The decision recognized the right to fair representation for all Connecticut public employees.
Grande is now asking the court to rule that school district officials’ behavior was unconstitutional and violated his First Amendment rights, and to award him compensatory and punitive damages.
Grande and Fairness Center attorneys are available for comment. Please email media@fairnesscenter.org or call 844.293.1001 to schedule an interview.
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The Fairness Center is a nonprofit, public interest law firm offering free legal services to those hurt by public-sector union officials. For more information visit www.FairnessCenter.org.
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