An Augusta education technician has filed a complaint with a federal agency saying she was discriminated against for telling a co-worker she would pray for her, according to a press release from the First Liberty Institute and Eaton Peabody law firm.
Toni Richardson who works for the Augusta School Department, said she received a memo from the school department telling her she could not use “phrases that integrate public and private belief systems” while at school. She said the memo explains she could be disciplined or fired in the future for using phrases like “I will pray for you” and “you were in my prayers” in private conversations at work, according to the press release.
Richardson said she tried to offer words of encouragement to a co-worker, who also attends her church, by telling her she would pray for her. She said she was later “interrogated” by school officials, who sent her a “coaching memorandum” telling her what she can and cannot say in school.
In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, the Augusta School Department said it disagreed “with some of the allegations that have been made” but said “now is not the time and place to get into a debate over those issues.”
“We are very surprised and extremely disappointed by the filing of this EEOC complaint for the simple reason that we had made a good faith proposal to Ms. Richardson’s lawyers to address her concerns and resolve this matter,” the statement read. “And while they had promised to get back to us (and we were waiting to hear from them), they have instead chosen to litigate without any response to our proposal.”
Richardson and her attorneys are expected to release more details about the case this afternoon during a Hall of Flags press conference at the State House. A complaint alleging religious discrimination was filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The First Liberty Institute, based in Texas, is the largest legal organization in the country that works to protect religious freedom, according to its website.
This story will be updated.