A Christian teacher sued a California school board for $360,000 earlier this week after alleging she was fired for refusing to follow gender ideological rules that contradicted her religious beliefs.
Jessica Tapia was fired from her job as a physical education teacher by the Jurupa Unified School District after she refused to follow the rules regarding the use of preferred pronouns.
“It really comes down to my faith. I believe it's always worth standing up for justice and fighting for the truth,” Tapia told CNA in a phone call. “And at the end of the day, I believe God's Word is the truth and the teachings that he's given us to live our lives by. There's nothing else and no one else I can turn to in that regard.”
After students reported Tapia's personal social media accounts – where she was sharing her opinions – to the district, the district placed her on administrative leave and will conduct an investigation in 2022.
“When I came into this position as a teacher in the workplace, being asked to go against the truth and what I believed was best for the kids that I was educating, and for their parents, and for myself, I knew it was time to speak up and not just cave in and comply, as so many feel pressured and forced to do,” she continued.
The district asked Tapia to follow new rules requiring her to use students' preferred pronouns, not to tell parents if a student identifies with a gender other than their biological sex, and to allow students to use their preferred bathroom regardless of their biological sex. She asked for religious accommodation, but the board refused, and rather than accommodate her religious beliefs, they fired her.
Tapia said it was “scary” to be in that position but that he believed “giving in to fear” went against biblical teachings.
“It really fired me up and I really had to rely on the Lord more than I ever have before and think about what His Word was saying and what was best for me in this situation. [was] “Even if it means sacrifices, even if it means turning my life upside down,” she said.
Tapia said it wasn't an easy risk to take, but the “timing” worked out and now, while home-schooling her young children, ages 6, 4 and 2, she leads the “Teachers Don't Lie” program, encouraging teachers “to not be forced to lie in any way.”
“We shouldn't lie to our students about the fact that God created them as human beings, male or female. And we shouldn't lie to our students' parents or hide that information from them. If your child starts to get confused about their identity, you shouldn't hide that from their parents, but the school district is asking teachers to do that,” she explained. “And thirdly, we shouldn't be pressured to lie to ourselves about our own morals or our own beliefs or our own convictions. That's what I was being asked to do by the school district.”
Bethany Onischenko, legal counsel for the nonprofit law firm Defenders for Liberty and Faith, which represented Tapia, said the group has received a “volume” of these types of lawsuits in recent years.
“I don't think it's over yet, and I think this is only going to get worse in the public school system,” Onischenko said, “But as more teachers like Jessica emerge and more school districts stand up to this ideology, I'm hopeful that we'll see a decline in these incidents. But for now, they're raging.”
Asked what he would say to concerned parents, Tapia said that while he personally “wouldn't normally encourage people to send their kids to public school,” he “supports” those who do.
“I’m on their side,” she said, adding, “I support parents who choose public schools. [are] “I believe that if there are children out there, Christians need to be there too. People with morals, people with values, need to be where the children are and protect them.”
Onischenko pointed out that parents do not lose their rights if they send their children to public schools.
Onischenko noted that parents remain their children's primary guardians and have the right to be involved in their child's welfare and education, “regardless of where they send them.”
“Parents absolutely have a constitutional right to supervise the upbringing and care of their children, and they do not lose that right by choosing to send their children to public school,” Onischenko noted.
Tapia said she has received “truly overwhelming” support from people locally and around the world.
But in a statement shared with CNA, a school district spokesperson said the settlement “is not a victory for Ms. Tapia, but a compromise of the contested claims.”
“The district continues to deny any wrongdoing or discrimination against Ms. Tapia,” the statement continued. “As the settlement agreement makes clear, the district has not admitted to any negligence or wrongdoing against Ms. Tapia.”
Nevertheless, President Onischenko called it a “major legal victory.”
“Although the district did not assert liability when it reached the settlement, we still view this as a major legal victory,” Onischenko said in a phone call with CNA. “This serves as a reminder to everyone that no matter what profession you're in, no matter what job you have, your religious freedom is protected.”
She added, “This settlement is an affirmation and a reminder that when teachers assert their rights, or when people of faith assert their God-protected rights in the Constitution, they can prevail if they stand up in faith and for what they believe in, for the word of God.”
