Seventh Circuit: “Reasonable Accommodations” Need Not Last Forever

The Seventh Circuit, in Kluge v. Brownsburg Commuunity School Corp., recently ruled that it was possible for an employer to withdraw a reasonable accommodation that had initially been permitted based on religious grounds.  In this case, a teacher requested the accommodation based on religious objections to calling transgender students by their listed names according to school policy (rather than those given at birth).  The accommodation allowed the teacher to instead call students by their last names.  In practice, it turned out that many students found the practice to be disrespectful and insulting.  Those students brought their concerns into other classrooms, and those teachers complained that the teacher's requested accommodation disrupted the learning environment.  The Seventh Circuit agreed, and noted that it is possible for an accommodation to seem reasonable on its face, yet impose an undue hardship in practice.  The court found that the employer was justified in rescinding the accommodation based on undue hardship after it had initially been permitted.  For more information on the reasonable accommodation requirements in the COVID-19 context, visit Tax Facts Online.  Read More: Q .