Jessica Tapia taught physical education at Jurupa Valley High School in Riverside County, which is part of the Jurupa Unified School District, until she was let go last year for "hypothetically, in statements to district personnel" refusing to call students by their preferred pronouns and refusing to allow them to use the restroom or locker room of their choice.
She also refused to keep that sort of information secret from parents, according to the federal suit.
The school district did not admit to doing anything wrong but has agreed to pay Tapia $285,000, plus an additional $75,000 for her attorneys' fees. As part of the settlement, Tapia also agreed not to seek future employment with the district, and both sides agreed to not disparage each other or file future lawsuits.
Tapia's attorneys at Advocates for Faith & Freedom call this an incredible victory for their client and for teachers across America.
"This just sends a message that teachers with religious beliefs are welcome in the public school system, and they can't be shut out of the public system just because of their religious beliefs," says legal counsel Bethany Onishenko.
Still, she thinks this sort of discrimination will continue until more teachers and more school districts refuse to accept problematic policies.
"Over the last three or four years, we've kind of seen these LGBTQ ideologies just explode, and they're being pushed more than they've ever been pushed before, including in our public school system," Onishenko observes.
To help those who are willing stand up and refuse to push such ideologies on kids, Advocated for Faith & Freedom has created the "Teachers Don't Lie" initiative.
"It's just going to be a legal resource for teachers to come and just learn about their rights or ask us any legal questions they have," Onishenko details.
