Appeals court ruling revives dormant SPS diversity training lawsuit 

A U.S. Court of Appeals ruling has breathed new life into a long-dormant lawsuit over Springfield Public Schools’ mandatory diversity training for employees. 

Filed in August 2021, the original lawsuit from employees Jennifer Lumley and Brooke Henderson alleged the district violated their rights by requiring the training during the 2020-21 school year.  

They alleged the district engaged in “viewpoint discrimination,” prompting employees to “self-censor” and recite beliefs they did not share. 

The suit named the district, school board and several district officials including Superintendent Grenita Lathan, who was hired in mid-2021. 

A federal judge ruled in favor of the district in early 2023. Claiming the suit was “frivolous,” the district was awarded nearly $313,000 in legal expenses. 

The employees, with support from the Southeastern Legal Foundation, the Alliance Defending Freedom and others including former Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, appealed the ruling of U.S. District Judge Douglas Harpool. 

In a 6-5 split decision, the appeals court judges ruled Dec. 30, 2025, that after a “rehearing,” the district court decisions were reversed, and the case was remanded back to the lower court for further proceedings.  

A majority agreed Lumley and Henderson suffered because of the training, reversing an earlier ruling that they lacked standing to file the lawsuit. 

The lengthy opinion issued by the appeals court stated, in part, the employees experienced a “chilling effect on speech” after expressing views that did not align with the training.  

“The record contains evidence indicating the plaintiffs stopped voicing their opinions and self-censored when it became apparent that their opposing views were considered unacceptable by the school district and were not only being rejected by the trainers but met with hostility from the trainers, who were employed by the school district,” according to the opinion. 

The dissenting judges argued the employees suffered “no tangible harm,” were not asked to leave the training and received full pay for the time spent. 

After filing the lawsuit, Lumley and Henderson continued to work for the district and Lumley was promoted.  

Stephen Hall, chief communications officer for SPS, said legal fees for the case have “grown significantly” beyond the $312,869 initially ordered to be reimbursed. He did not have an updated total.  

“This long process is not over, however, as the Appeals Court has now sent the case back to the District Court for a further determination of specific issues,” Hall said in a statement. 

“Unfortunately, the case is being driven by an out-of-state special interest group and has been a tremendous burden on taxpayer resources. It would be our wish for the plaintiffs to dismiss their case so that this long and costly process can end.” 

The training has been discontinued. 

SBJ requested comment from the Alliance Defending Freedom but did not receive a response before deadline.