JUPURA VALLEY, CA - On Monday, May 13th, the Jurupa Unified School District (JUSD) settled a $360,000 lawsuit after it fired a teacher for her refusal to use a student's preferred pronouns.
According to reports, in 2023 Jessica Tapia filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against JUSD, arguing that she was dismissed by the school in 2022 over her Christian faith. She stated that her beliefs conflicted with school policies tied to students' gender identities.
Advocates for Faith and Freedom, the law firm that represented Tapia, said in the suit, "The directives required Ms. Tapia lie to parents about their children's gender identity, refer to students by their preferred pronouns, refrain from expressing her religious beliefs with students on her social media, and allow students to use the bathroom or locker room that matched their preferred sex."
The lawsuit added, "Because Ms. Tapia was unable to comply with the directives due to her religious beliefs, she requested an accommodation from the District. JUSD refused to provide her with any accommodation and subsequently terminated her employment with the District." According to Fox News, Tapia has been involved with JUSD for over two decades, first as a student and then later as a teacher and coach.
When speaking with Fox News Digital, Tapia said, "From the second that I was pulled into my first meeting with the district, I knew this was some spiritual warfare and just a battle on truth that we're seeing across the nation, especially in education and in and around children." The entire ordeal began on September 30, 2022, when JUSD gave Tapia a "Notice of Unprofessional Conduct" and notified her that pursuant to California Education Code section 44938, she had "engaged in unprofessional conduct and lodged twelve meritless allegations" against her.
Tapia said that her students looked her up on social media and that they "discovered" things that she did not discuss in class as well as her "stance on various topics" that revealed she's an "outspoken Christian conservative." Tapia said that she did not identify herself as being affiliated with the school district on her personal social media account. However, some of her students took issue that "some" of her "values and beliefs didn't align with theirs."
According to Tapia, after that, the students sent JUSD about seven or eight specific posts from her "Jesus highlight" on Instagram. She told Fox News Digital, "Once students found me on social media, they reported me immediately to the school district. The next day, I was pulled out of my class away from my students, never to return again. I was placed on paid administrative leave, which then led to three various meetings at the school district office."
The lawsuit states that the district accused Tapia of "posting offensive content on her public Instagram account, referencing her faith during conversations with students, and expressing controversial opinions on issues pertaining to gender identity." In her second meeting, JUSD presented Tapia with a "Plan of Assistance and Directives," which according to the suit, required that she "lie to parents about their children's gender identity, refer to students by their preferred pronouns, refrain from expressing her religious beliefs with students or on social media, and allow students to use the bathroom or locker room that matched their preferred sex."
She said, "That third and final meeting in January 2023 was the religious accommodation meeting where I was questioned up and down on my Christian faith. And at the end of that, they decided from that that they could not accommodate my religious beliefs and were therefore firing me."
She told Fox News Digital that she never had a student come up to her asking to identify by the sex opposite of the one listed on her class roster or asking to be permitted into the girls' locker room as a biological male, so the directives were all based on how she "would hypothetically handle a situation with a transgender student" she were to ever have one.
Her attorney, Juilanne Fleischer with Advocates for Faith and Freedom, said that Tapia had "no negative performance reviews" and "always maintained a level of respect for every student that she's had." Fleischer added, "What we're seeing with these types of directives at school districts across the nation as they're implementing these different transgender policies and threatening teachers and educators with termination from their employment, is a type of religious test ... because what they're essentially saying is you need to ascribe to our own religion or you're no longer qualified to serve as a public school teacher. And so, Jessica's religious beliefs become second class to the school district's ideology as it relates to transgender and transgender policies."
She added, "What the district has done and with this type of test, it essentially makes it so no teacher of faith is qualified to serve in a public school setting." Tapia graduated from Jurupa Valley High School in 2010 and later came back to the district that she says, "essentially raised her" as a teacher, coach and lifeguard.
When asked for a comment, JUSD said, "this settlement is not a win for Ms. Tapia, but is in compromise of a disputed claim." A district spokesperson said, "Ms. Tapia is no longer an employee of the District and has agreed and understands that she may not seek reemployment with the District. The settlement certainly does not state or prove any illegal action or discrimination about the District. The District continues to deny an illegal action or discrimination against Ms. Tapia."
Tapia has partnered with Advocates for Faith & Freedom on an initiative called "Teachers Don't Lie," which aims to provide resources to teachers of faith about their constitutional rights. She said that teachers don't lie to students, to their parents, and lastly, to themselves.
According to reports, in 2023 Jessica Tapia filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against JUSD, arguing that she was dismissed by the school in 2022 over her Christian faith. She stated that her beliefs conflicted with school policies tied to students' gender identities.
Advocates for Faith and Freedom, the law firm that represented Tapia, said in the suit, "The directives required Ms. Tapia lie to parents about their children's gender identity, refer to students by their preferred pronouns, refrain from expressing her religious beliefs with students on her social media, and allow students to use the bathroom or locker room that matched their preferred sex."
The lawsuit added, "Because Ms. Tapia was unable to comply with the directives due to her religious beliefs, she requested an accommodation from the District. JUSD refused to provide her with any accommodation and subsequently terminated her employment with the District." According to Fox News, Tapia has been involved with JUSD for over two decades, first as a student and then later as a teacher and coach.
When speaking with Fox News Digital, Tapia said, "From the second that I was pulled into my first meeting with the district, I knew this was some spiritual warfare and just a battle on truth that we're seeing across the nation, especially in education and in and around children." The entire ordeal began on September 30, 2022, when JUSD gave Tapia a "Notice of Unprofessional Conduct" and notified her that pursuant to California Education Code section 44938, she had "engaged in unprofessional conduct and lodged twelve meritless allegations" against her.
Tapia said that her students looked her up on social media and that they "discovered" things that she did not discuss in class as well as her "stance on various topics" that revealed she's an "outspoken Christian conservative." Tapia said that she did not identify herself as being affiliated with the school district on her personal social media account. However, some of her students took issue that "some" of her "values and beliefs didn't align with theirs."
According to Tapia, after that, the students sent JUSD about seven or eight specific posts from her "Jesus highlight" on Instagram. She told Fox News Digital, "Once students found me on social media, they reported me immediately to the school district. The next day, I was pulled out of my class away from my students, never to return again. I was placed on paid administrative leave, which then led to three various meetings at the school district office."
The lawsuit states that the district accused Tapia of "posting offensive content on her public Instagram account, referencing her faith during conversations with students, and expressing controversial opinions on issues pertaining to gender identity." In her second meeting, JUSD presented Tapia with a "Plan of Assistance and Directives," which according to the suit, required that she "lie to parents about their children's gender identity, refer to students by their preferred pronouns, refrain from expressing her religious beliefs with students or on social media, and allow students to use the bathroom or locker room that matched their preferred sex."
She said, "That third and final meeting in January 2023 was the religious accommodation meeting where I was questioned up and down on my Christian faith. And at the end of that, they decided from that that they could not accommodate my religious beliefs and were therefore firing me."
She told Fox News Digital that she never had a student come up to her asking to identify by the sex opposite of the one listed on her class roster or asking to be permitted into the girls' locker room as a biological male, so the directives were all based on how she "would hypothetically handle a situation with a transgender student" she were to ever have one.
Her attorney, Juilanne Fleischer with Advocates for Faith and Freedom, said that Tapia had "no negative performance reviews" and "always maintained a level of respect for every student that she's had." Fleischer added, "What we're seeing with these types of directives at school districts across the nation as they're implementing these different transgender policies and threatening teachers and educators with termination from their employment, is a type of religious test ... because what they're essentially saying is you need to ascribe to our own religion or you're no longer qualified to serve as a public school teacher. And so, Jessica's religious beliefs become second class to the school district's ideology as it relates to transgender and transgender policies."
She added, "What the district has done and with this type of test, it essentially makes it so no teacher of faith is qualified to serve in a public school setting." Tapia graduated from Jurupa Valley High School in 2010 and later came back to the district that she says, "essentially raised her" as a teacher, coach and lifeguard.
When asked for a comment, JUSD said, "this settlement is not a win for Ms. Tapia, but is in compromise of a disputed claim." A district spokesperson said, "Ms. Tapia is no longer an employee of the District and has agreed and understands that she may not seek reemployment with the District. The settlement certainly does not state or prove any illegal action or discrimination about the District. The District continues to deny an illegal action or discrimination against Ms. Tapia."
Tapia has partnered with Advocates for Faith & Freedom on an initiative called "Teachers Don't Lie," which aims to provide resources to teachers of faith about their constitutional rights. She said that teachers don't lie to students, to their parents, and lastly, to themselves.
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Comments
2024-05-18T21:38-0500 | Comment by: David
Only $360,000? Not nearly enough.
2024-05-19T00:00-0500 | Comment by: James
It is a sick world we are living in when such outrageous action is taken against a good Christian Conservative. Shame on the school! Nice she won, but sad for our country.
2024-05-19T00:02-0500 | Comment by: Victoria
Ms. Tapia has got that right: this is spiritual warfare. Good for her that she's on the right side.
2024-05-19T05:58-0500 | Comment by: Tim
“Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you” (1 John 3:13). And Paul said, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).
2024-05-19T05:58-0500 | Comment by: Tim
“Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you” (1 John 3:13). And Paul said, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).
2024-05-19T15:51-0500 | Comment by: Karl
Ms Tapia should have been awarded more as this was outright discrimination. That more should have come directly from the school officials involved and not from the district as the awarded funds will only come out of taxpayers taxes which in turn will harm the students by diverting the money from educational programs.