By JOHN HANNA
The College of Oklahoma has fired an teacher who was accused by a scholar of non secular discrimination over a failing grade on a psychology paper by which she cited the Bible and argued that selling a “perception in a number of genders” was “demonic.”
The college mentioned in an announcement posted Monday on X that its investigation discovered the graduate educating assistant had been “arbitrary” in giving 20-year-old junior Samantha Fulnecky zero factors on the task. The college declined to remark past its assertion, which mentioned the teacher had been faraway from educating.
Via her legal professional, the teacher, Mel Curth, denied Tuesday that she had “engaged in any arbitrary habits concerning the scholar’s work.” The legal professional, Brittany Stewart, mentioned in an announcement emailed to The Related Press that Curth is “contemplating all of her authorized cures.”
Conservative teams, commentators and others shortly made Fulnecky’s failing grade an internet trigger, highlighting her argument that she’d been punished for expressing conservative Christian views. Her case grew to become a flashpoint within the ongoing debate over tutorial freedom on faculty campuses as President Donald Trump pushes to finish range, fairness and inclusion initiatives, and prohibit how campuses talk about race, gender and sexuality.
Fulnecky appealed her grade on the task, which was value 3% of the ultimate grade within the class, and the college mentioned the task wouldn’t depend. It additionally positioned Curth on go away, and Oklahoma’s conservative Republican governor, Kevin Stitt, declared the scenario “deeply regarding.”
“The College of Oklahoma believes strongly in each its college’s rights to show with tutorial freedom and integrity and its college students’ proper to obtain an training that’s free from a lecturer’s impermissible evaluative requirements,” the college’s assertion mentioned. “We’re dedicated to educating college students easy methods to assume, not what to assume.”
A legislation accredited this yr by Oklahoma’s Republican-dominated Legislature and signed by Stitt prohibits state universities from utilizing public funds to finance DEI applications or positions or mandating DEI coaching. Nevertheless, the legislation says it doesn’t apply to scholarly analysis or “the educational freedom of any particular person college member.”
House phone listings for Fulnecky within the Springfield, Missouri, space had been disconnected, and her mom — an legal professional, podcaster and radio host — didn’t instantly reply Tuesday to a Fb message in search of remark concerning the college’s motion.
Fulnecky’s failing grade got here in an task for a psychology class on lifespan growth. Curth directed college students to write down a 650-word response to a tutorial research that examined whether or not conformity with gender norms was related to recognition or bullying amongst center faculty college students.
Fulnecky wrote that she was annoyed by the premise of the task as a result of she doesn’t consider that there are greater than two genders based mostly on her understanding of the Bible, based on a replica of her essay offered to The Oklahoman.
“Society pushing the lie that there are a number of genders and everybody must be no matter they need to be is demonic and severely harms American youth,” she wrote, including that it might lead society “farther from God’s authentic plan for people.”
In suggestions obtained by the newspaper, Curth mentioned the paper did “not reply the questions for the task,” contradicted itself, relied on “private ideology” over proof and “is at instances offensive.”
“Please observe that I’m not deducting factors as a result of you’ve gotten sure beliefs,” Curth wrote.
