A former paraprofessional who was allegedly fired for talking politics with a visiting state representative is now suing the Bonner Springs-Edwardsville Unified School District in Kansas.

Barbara Williams, who until recently worked in the western Wyandotte County district, claimed officials wrongfully fired her last spring after she shared her beliefs with state Rep. Carolyn Caiharr during a March visit at Edwardsville Elementary.

The lawsuit, filed in August, maintains the school district infringed upon Williams’ First Amendment rights by firing her afterward. She’s seeking financial and punitive damages in federal court.

“I have lost wages. I have spent many hours/days looking for employment and an attorney. I am feeling stressed with the difficulty of not finding another job,” she wrote in the lawsuit.

She’s asking for a jury trial in Kansas City, Kansas, and $50,000 to make up for lost wages and distress. Williams also wants the court to enforce some sort of punitive action so “defendants won’t do this again to someone else,” according to the lawsuit.

As of this week, the Bonner Springs-Edwardsville district had only recently found out about the lawsuit and was still reviewing the complaint, wrote Greg Goheen, an attorney representing the district, in an email.

“The district will respond to Ms. Williams in court as appropriate,” Goheen said. “Because this matter is pending litigation, the district cannot discuss the details or comment further at this time.”

Caiharr did not know about the lawsuit until Wednesday, she told The Star, adding that she was not involved in the district’s hiring or termination decisions.

“I will defer to the school district for any further details regarding their employee or litigation,” she wrote in an email.

What happened?

During Caiharr’s March visit to the campus, Williams allegedly told her that “trans rights are human rights” and “diverting taxpayer $ to private schools is not right,” according to the lawsuit.

By the end of that school day, Superintendent Richard Moulin had drafted up paperwork announcing that the district was putting Williams on administrative leave and would recommend that the board vote to fire her, Williams told The Star.

She said she was not technically on the clock during that situation, and that she had the right to exercise the First Amendment in a local government building.

Rep. running for reelection

Caiharr, a Republican who represents District 33 in the Kansas House and is also mayor of Edwardsville, replaced outgoing Rep. Mike Thompson in the Kansas Legislature after he retired from politics last year.

She’s seeking her first full term as a state representative in this year’s November general election. During the general election, she’ll face Democrat Emily Blanks — who is also a member of the Bonner Springs City Council — for a two-year term representing District 33.

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