A transgender public school teacher in New York’s Hudson Valley claims she was taunted by students, misgendered by colleagues, and fired by the administration after parents launched a scathing social media campaign against her.
Tonia Daniels, a substitute teacher in Dutchess County, claims that students in her classes mocked her, asked her repeatedly if she “was a boy or a girl,” and called her “sir” by a fifth-grader.
When Daniels reported the situation to higher-ups, her concerns were completely ignored — until she was fired for openly “disclosing her gender identity” to a student who enquired about it, according to a federal human rights lawsuit obtained by The Independent.
Daniels, who worked as an educator for over 35 years, now cleans houses and drives for rideshare companies, according to attorney Jillian Weiss, who represents Daniels and is also transgender.
Daniels said in an emailed statement, “For many years, I have been dedicated to my education profession and my students. Fortunately, I was quite successful and had many enjoyable years as an educator and administrator.
I wish the School District and the parents who pushed for my dismissal could have seen past their prejudice against transgender people, which overshadowed my many years of experience teaching students. I am filing this lawsuit to ensure that no other teachers in the education profession face such job bias in the future.
In her statement, Weiss stated, “People used to believe that only white Christian men could be effective public school teachers. Stereotyping is morally wrong and incorrect, as we have learnt through hard lessons as a nation.
All Americans deserve an equal opportunity to work hard and provide for themselves and their families, without fear of being targeted for being themselves.”
Arlington Central School District Superintendent Phil Benante told The Independent via email that the district remains committed to creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students and staff. While we do not comment on personnel issues, we are confident that when examined, the district’s actions will reflect these values.”
Daniels’ lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, comes amid a barrage of anti-trans actions by the Trump administration, which launched an offensive against transgender and nonbinary Americans as soon as it retook the White House.
On Inauguration Day, Trump signed an executive order recognising “only two genders, male and female,” after which, among other things, the federal government leaned on states to stop private hospitals from providing gender-affirming care to trans patients.
The U.S. military prohibited trans recruits from joining the ranks, the Bureau of Prisons began transferring trans women into men’s facilities, and the Social Security Administration removed all references to trans and int Trump has also promised to bar transgender athletes from obtaining visas to compete in the 2028 Olympic Games, which will be held in Los Angeles.
Daniels began subbing in the Arlington Central School District in February 2024, according to her complaint. On her first day of orientation, she was misgendered by an HR employee, but no action was taken to correct it, according to the complaint.
A week later, the complaint states, a group of students asked Daniels if she was male or female, which was quickly followed by a remark from a school custodian who questioned her gender identity, asking, “What are you doing in my building?”
In mid-March 2024, Daniels was teaching at Arthur May Intermediate School when a classroom full of students “laughed at her because of her gender identity and gender expression,” the complaint states. However, when Daniels informed the principal about what had happened, “her concerns were minimised, excused, and dismissed.”
According to Daniels’ complaint, district policy requires teachers to respond “empathetically” to every prejudiced remark that occurs, because “if biassed incidents go unaddressed it can send an unintended, yet powerful, message to all who witnessed it that that kind of behaviour is acceptable to you.”
Shortly after, Daniels was assigned to Titusville Intermediate School, where her class included a group of disruptive students who were bullying others, according to the complaint.
It says Daniels attempted to address the “negatively charged atmosphere” by relating a personal anecdote from her own childhood about coming out as trans, which she hoped would “create empathy” for the students who were being picked on.
The next day, according to the complaint, the head of HR informed Daniels that she was no longer permitted to teach at Titusville, claiming that parents had “communicated to the principal at Titusville that they did not wish to have their children hear a story about a transgender person.”
“He stated that the parents asked to have her removed from her position as a substitute at the school,” according to the complaint. Additionally, “parents were calling the principal incessantly and posting on social media about Ms. Daniels.”
According to the complaint, the human resources director told Daniels that “his main concern was to quiet the parents at Titusville by restricting her from teaching at the school.”
According to the complaint, Daniels was assigned to two different schools across the district in April.
According to the complaint, students in an elementary school class “seemed puzzled about her gender expression,” so Daniels explained that she used she/her pronouns.
“In response, one student, who had previously been acting out in the class, said loudly, ‘Yes, sir,’ with an emphasis on the ‘sir,'” in keeping with the complaint.
According to the complaint, Daniels asked the student if he meant to use the word “sir,” and he replied that he did.
A young student at the Overlook School asked Daniels if she was “a boy or a girl,” according to the complaint. Daniels replied that she is “a girl…although I used to be a boy,” and the student “appeared satisfied” with her response.
According to the complaint, Daniels received a call from the district’s head of human resources at the end of the month, informing her that she was no longer welcome to teach at any school.
“He stated explicitly that it was because of disclosing her gender identity to the [second-grade] student,” according to the accusation. “He also stated this was his decision because of parents who had repeatedly called to ask that she no longer be allowed to teach in the Arlington School District.”
Daniels is now requesting that a judge reinstate her to her teaching position, permanently enjoin the school district from discriminating against trans teachers, and award compensatory damages plus attorneys’ fees.
