A school was forced to hand out $15,000 in compensation after a teacher failed to address a non-binary student using a gender-neutral pronoun.

The incident takes place in Sweden where educational providers are legally responsible for the discriminatory actions of their representatives and staff.

As The Local reported, one school came under scrutiny after an investigation by The Equality Ombudsman revealed that a teacher repeatedly refused to call one of the students by their preferred pronouns.

According to the paper, the student wanted to be referred by the gender-neutral pronoun ‘hen’, which in English translates to ‘they’, whereas the teacher continuously failed to acknowledge the child’s wishes.

“A situation where a teacher consciously refuses to use the pronouns a student identifies with represents a serious form of harassment and something a headteacher must put a stop to,” Isabelle Arsova of The Equality Ombudsman said in a statement.

Arsova also added that teachers should make students feel “safe and respected” in their schools.

Following an investigation into the incident, the school the teacher was working for was ordered to pay the non-binary student $15,000 in compensation.

The incident comes six years after Sweden added the gender-neutral pronoun of ‘hen’ into its dictionary. The pronoun has since been widely used by people who identify as non-binary, transgender or those who do not wish to reveal their gender.

Earlier this year, Norway followed suit by introducing the same pronoun to its dictionaries and encouraging people to use the gender-neutral alternative when needed.

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