Judge rules Brownsburg HS can require teachers to use students’ chosen names
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A judge in federal court in Indianapolis has ruled against a former teacher at Brownsburg High School who refused to call transgender students by their chosen names.
Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson on Tuesday ruled Brownsburg Community Schools could require teachers to call students by their chosen names rather than their names at birth.
The Brownsburg teacher, John Kluge, taught music and orchestra. He claimed school policy violated his religious beliefs. He sought to call students by their last names only.
Kluge resigned in 2018.
Brownsburg Community Schools, located in Hendricks County west of Indianapolis, had more than 10,400 students in 2024, according to date from the Indiana Department of Education. That total included nearly 3,300 students in grades 9-12.
This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV.