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A father in Florida is suing the School District of Palm Beach County over a dispute stemming from a teacher who allegedly placed two gay pride flags in a classroom and "proselytized" to students about LGBT issues.
"The main reason I filed this case was because I believe the school has violated the law and want to stop them before they go further," Florida dad Francisco Deliu told Fox News Digital on Thursday. "… An interesting byproduct of my case is that it has made parents aware and so may just yet turn into a political movement as well. We have to protect our children from overreach by the unelected bureaucrats."
Deliu filed a lawsuit on Oct. 12 against the school district and other education leaders in the district after he learned "from his child that his school is expressly and/or implicitly advocating for homosexuality as an alternative way of life," according to the suit.
Deliu alleges in the suit that his 12-year-old son was enrolled in a computer science class at Emerald Cove Elementary School, and on Sept. 16, his teacher put up "two ‘gay pride’ (rainbow) flags in her classroom. ... His son advised him that the teacher also used a search engine to find websites about homosexual lifestyles and proselytized to the students in class."
Exterior shot of Emerald Cove Middle School in Florida. (Google Maps)
The suit outlines that Deliu and his son are Orthodox Christians who view homosexuality as a sin. The father is originally from Romania, and "was given refugee status in the United States of America in 1980 on the grounds of religious and political persecution by the communist Ceausescu regime," according to the complaint.
His son was born in New Zealand, where Deliu practiced law, and the family returned to the U.S. in 2020.
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"Dr. Deliu is a libertarian who lives by a 'live and let live' creed. He respects the rights of others, but also demands they not encroach upon his rights," the suit states.
Deliu's lawsuit states that he brought the issue of the gay pride flags to the principal of the school and the school board, but the principal "dismissed" the issue.
A person holds a rainbow flag during a gay pride parade. (REUTERS/Axel Schmidt) (REUTERS/Axel Schmidt)
"He asked for reasons, but the Principal refused to justify her decision," the lawsuit said. When Deliu pressed the principal on the matter and said she was acting "unlawfully," she allegedly said the matter would be further discussed with the school board.
Deliu also went to the school and demanded his son be removed from the computer science class "pending anticipated legal action." The school reportedly said it would look into moving the child to a different teacher’s computer science class.
"The school did not keep its promise and, instead, unilaterally and without notice to Dr. Deliu moved his son into an art class," the suit says.
Deliu objected to this class change and went to the school board about his complaint. He was ultimately told that the matter was directed to the school district's Office of Professional Standards for an administrative investigation. The lawsuit argues that neither the school board nor the school have properly investigated the complaints Deliu filed.
Deliu said the teacher who posted the gay pride flags is in violation of Florida’s Parents' Bill of Rights law.
The law, which was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year, gives parents "the right to direct the education and care of his or her minor child" and "the right to direct the upbringing and the moral or religious training of his or her minor child."
Now, Deliu is looking to amend his lawsuit, claiming a second teacher at the school posted a gay pride flag in a different classroom this month. Deliu told Fox News Digital that he again went to the school to ask for his son to be removed from that class, but was met by police officers after reaching the school's main entrance. His son was ultimately removed from that class, as well.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gestures as he speaks, Monday, June 14, 2021, at the Shul of Bal Harbour, a Jewish community center in Surfside, Florida. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Deliu told Fox News Digital that American school children need to be competitive in a global market, and lamented how U.S. education scores have dropped, while students in Asian countries remain focused on math, science and languages curricula.
"Meanwhile, our schools are spending time, money and resources on gay pride and homosexuality. This will not end well. Parents are responsible for cultural, moral, political and social education. Schools are responsible for that which the parents are unable to teach due to lack of skills or abilities, i.e., physics or calculus. We need to ensure those lines are not crossed, and I hope my case helps set this clear precedent," he said.
Deliu highlighted that he is in "no way, shape or form anti-homosexuality," and that though some "extremists" might portray the case as "anti-gay," it is "instead about the separation between parent and state." He pointed to an instance in 2007, when he was living in New Zealand, that he represented a gay Russian man who was seeking refugee status in the country after he was "beaten up by police in Moscow at a gay pride parade."
Deliu is calling for a jury trial in circuit court. He is also calling for the court to declare the teacher's discussion about homosexuality illegal, for the flags to be removed and for a public apology from the district.
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The School Board of Palm Beach County, the School District of Palm Beach County, Emerald Cove Middle School, as well as the middle school’s principal and a teacher are listed as defendants in the case.
"The School District does not typically comment on pending litigation, however, we look forward to the facts in this case unfolding during the process," the District told Fox News Digital.
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