CA School District Settles With Christian Teacher After Allegedly Firing Her Over Trans Policy

A California school district has agreed to pay a former teacher more than $300,000 after allegedly firing her for refusing to use preferred pronouns or hide students' gender identities from their parents.

Advocates for Faith & Freedom, a non-profit legal group, filed a federal lawsuit last year against California's Jurupa Unified School District claiming it violated Jessica Tapia's religious beliefs by depriving her of the free exercise of religion and freedom of speech when it came to the district's transgender policies. 

According to the lawsuit, Tapia, a former P.E. teacher at Jurupa Valley High School, was let go after violating the school district's policy for refusing to call students by their preferred pronouns and not withholding children's gender identities from their parents. 

The lawsuit details that Tapia was put on administrative leave days before the end of the 2021-2022 school year because of posts on her personal Instagram account that were "brought to the District's attention."

"The district claimed ... Ms. Tapia's social media posts were racist, offensive, disrespectful, and mocking towards individuals based upon their sexual orientation," it reads.

Jurupa Unified School District also claimed she referenced her faith during conversations with students and improperly expressed her opinion on LGBT issues. 

Tapia later received a "Notice of Unprofessional Conduct," where the district laid out a set of directives for the former P.E. teacher to follow to keep her job. 

The lawsuit says the list included not discussing the Bible with students, allowing students to use the bathroom of their choice, and using students' preferred pronouns. 

Tapia said she was unable to comply with several of the directives and requested a religious accommodation. She was denied and later terminated. 

"People of faith should be allowed to maintain their personal beliefs without fear of losing their job," Mariah Gondeiro, vice president and legal counsel for Advocates for Faith and Freedom, said in a statement at the time. "Jessica Tapia was not dismissed for any wrongdoing, rather, she was dismissed for her Christian beliefs. This is a clear violation of our Constitutional rights. 

In a statement released earlier this week, Advocates for Faith & Freedom announced the school district approved a settlement agreement totaling $360,000.

"Today's settlement serves as a reminder that religious freedom is protected, no matter your career," said Julianne Fleischer, legal counsel for Advocates for Faith and Freedom. "If the school district's actions were legal, no teacher of faith would be qualified to serve as a public school teacher. Jessica's story is one of faithful courage. She fought back to ensure her school district was held accountable and that no other teacher has to succumb to this type of discrimination."

A spokesperson for the district told CBN News that while the school approves the settlement it simply a "compromise of a disputed claim."

The settlement certainly does not state or prove any illegal action or discrimination by the District. The District continues to deny any illegal action or discrimination against Ms. Tapia. As is clear from the settlement agreement, the District has not admitted any fault or wrongdoing against Ms. Tapia," said spokesperson Jacqueline Paul. 

While part of the settlement precludes Tapia from seeking future employment with the district, she is not only celebrating the settlement as a win for teachers but has created an organization to advocate for their rights.  

"What happened to me can happen to anybody, and I want the next teacher to know that it is worth it to take a stand for what is right," Tapia said. "Across the country, we are seeing teachers' freedom of speech and religious liberty violated through policies that require them to forsake their morals."

"I want teachers to be confident in the fact that the best thing we can do for students is educate in truth, not deception," she added. This is why I'm joining forces with Advocates for Faith and Freedom to launch Teachers Don't Lie, a resource that will be committed to giving a voice of truth to teachers. I am confident that we are making progress to ensure that no teacher has their faith violated within schoolhouse gates again."

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