Ex-Teacher Sues Over PA District's Jan 6-Related Firing

LEHIGH COUNTY, PA — A fired teacher is suing his former district, alleging the district defamed him by wrongly tying him to the riot at the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Jason Moorehead, 45, has filed a lawsuit against the Allentown School District.

Moorehead, who taught at Raub Middle School in Allentown for 18 years, was suspended after the district learned he attended former President Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally in Washington DC.

"Yes I went to Washington, the capital, DC to hear some speeches," Moorehead said after his firing. "But I was never a part of any violence. Period."

After the six-month suspension, Moorehead was allowed to return to the district with the caveat of reassignment and that he take cultural competency courses regarding African Americans and Hispanics.

However, Moorehead refused to return, alleging the district created a hostile environment for him by branding him as a participant in the deadly riot that broke into the Capitol building.

He called the district unsafe for him and blamed the school board for creating the atmosphere.

"The district told the Allentown community that I was an active participant in the riots," he said. "That's a lie."

Moorehead said through working with the FBI, the district quickly learned he was not involved in the riot.

He said the district never retracted the claim he was involved in the riot, and was thus labeled a racist and a white supremacist.

"I am none of those things," he said. "I have a clean record, I have the support of every administrator that I've been through."

Moorehead told the board their actions cause him to lose his career, his life, his marriage, and maybe even his home.

Last week, he filed a suit in Lehigh County against the board and district, seeking monetary damages and an official clearing of his name by the district.

A monetary amount sought by Moorehead was not listed in the court documents filed against the district.

The suit claims the district and board later admitted to him in a letter that they knew he was not involved int he riot or attacked the Capitol.

The suit also alleges the district with the help of the FBI breached his constitutional rights by seizing his devices in an effort to determine whether he was involved in the riot.

Additionally, the suit alleges the school board's left-leaning members targeted Moorehead, a conservative Republican who supported Trump, due to his beliefs and had an "ideological hatred" toward him.

"Needless to say, had Mr. Moorehead been a black or Hispanic teacher who attended a BLM rally at which violence occurred over 1 mile away, and espoused left-wing sentiments [the board and district] agreed with, none of this would have happened," the court filing reads.