Katie Kerekes, FISM News

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A New Jersey mother says she was treated as a threat in her community for questioning sexually explicit material in her child’s elementary school. Now she is suing those responsible for violating her civil rights.

Represented by the Thomas More Society, a Chicago-based non-profit law firm, Angela Reading has filed a lawsuit against nine individuals she says are responsible for tarnishing her reputation and treating her like a terrorist.

“The civil rights lawsuit I have filed is a critical step towards seeking justice for the irreversible damage inflicted upon my personal life, professional reputation, and capacity to meaningfully contribute and serve my community,” Reading wrote in a Facebook post alongside an article from The Blaze concerning the lawsuit.

The 62-page lawsuit accuses the nine defendants — among which are a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and the North Hanover Chief of Police — of a “far-reaching campaign of retaliation” against Reading, “enlisting the aid of local, state, and federal government agencies” after she “expressed her natural parental concerns by means of a simple Facebook post about the sexual nature of content on display in an elementary school.”

Reading says her daughter questioned her about the meaning of “polysexual” after she saw the content at school, which prompted her to speak out.

The lawsuit further states that the defendants “abused the power of governmental offices” to “create a public fury” specifically directed at Reading and her family, including an attempt to coerce the removal of her Facebook post.

“My entire life has been uprooted,” she said in an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network. “When all of this was taking place, I’m in law school and I had to stop going to school, not take my exams, which plummeted my GPA.”

Once serving as the School Board Vice President for Northern Burlington County, Reading says she was forced to resign and remove her children from the district out of fear for their safety.

“So, there are damages far outreaching that will follow me throughout my entire life,” she continued. “I don’t even feel comfortable and safe going out in my community the way that they portrayed me. I’ve lost friends that don’t talk to me who actually believed the things that were being said.”

The Defendants are being sued on nine counts including First Amendment Violations of speech, religion, and free exercise, as well as Conspiracy to Violate Civil Rights.