Parents and students in Middlesex County say a school psychologist was fired in retaliation for organizing an LGBTQ awareness event and for teaching inclusive curriculum. Just a few weeks later, Dr. Cassia Mosdell learned that the district denied her tenure, after four years of what she says were glowing reviews over her work as a school psychologist and the LGBTQ+ lessons she’d been teaching. The announcement that she wouldn’t return to Shore Middle School hit many of her students and their parents hard.

Parents supportive of Mosdell said the voices of a few are outweighing the many who support Mosdell’s body of work. They’ve started a petition to have Mosdell reinstated. Steven Salgado-Cowan, whose son is LGBTQ, said, “We’d like to believe that the district has the same concerns about ensuring that all students, regardless of their race, religion, persuasion, gender orientation or anything else, are well suited to enter the world with as much respect, understanding, tolerance as they can, based on the type of education that they get. And that they need to have people that they can rely on to help move these issues forward.”

Mosdell is getting a chance to defend herself Thursday at what is called a Donaldson hearing, where she can challenge her firing in a public setting.