Does this case show that the tide is turning away from this kind of persecution?
Jessica Tapia, a teacher in the Jorupa Unified School District, was fired a year ago for her religious beliefs and belief in telling students and parents the truth. Tapia was a teacher and a coach in the district. She sued the district and was awarded a $360,000 settlement from Jorupa Unified on Tuesday.
The trouble for Tapia began on September 30, 2022 when the district sent her "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 had posted some of her personal Christian beliefs, which she never discussed with her students, on her social media. She stated that she didn't believe in transgender directives and would never lie to parents about their children. She never identified herself on her social media as affiliated with the school district. However, some of her students found the posts and determined "some of my values and beliefs didn't align with theirs." The students then reported Tapia to the school district, and she was immediately placed on administrative leave and removed from the school.
"From the second that I was pulled into my first meeting with the district, I knew this was some serious spiritual warfare and just a battle on truth that we're seeing across the nation, especially in education and in and around children" Tapia stated.
The district claimed Tapia's was guilty 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." The district then gave her a "A Plan of Assistance and Directives," which 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 her social media, and allow students to use the bathroom or locker room that matched their preferred sex."
Tapia sought a religious accommodation from the plan but in 2023, the district, after subjecting her to a grueling inquisition about her beliefs, wouldn't accommodate her beliefs and fired her.
Tapia said she had never had a conversation with her students regarding her religious beliefs or her thoughts on transgenders. She had never had a biological male ask to use the girls' locker room. The school system based her firing on what she MIGHT do or say. Tapia's attorney, Julianne Fleischer of Advocates for Faith & Freedom, a nonprofit law firm dedicated to religious liberty took on the case in May 2023. Fleischer stated that the teacher had always had good performance reviews.
"The school district specifically terminated her because of her religious beliefs," Fleischer said. "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."
"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," she added.
The firing hasn't been easy for Tapia. She feared her loss of income would cost her family their home. But, her faith helped her through.
"I could have saved my life. When I say life in this circumstance, I'm obviously meaning my teaching career, my salary; I could have saved it myself. I could have taken control of that. I could have saved it by just saying yes and bowing down to these directives," Tapia said. "But, you know, I chose to realize that, you know, God is in control. He's in control of my life. And if I do lose my life or lose … my job in this situation, I don't know how that's going to look, but somehow God's going to show me my life, or I'm going to find my life. I'm going to find my true purpose, by choosing Him, by choosing to stand in the truth here."
The school district did not respond to requests for comment from FOX News. They released this statement: "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 district spokesperson said. "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."
"The decision to settle this case was made in conjunction with the District’s self-insurance authority and in the best interest of the students, such that the District can continue to dedicate all of its resources and efforts to educate and support its student population regardless of their protected class," the spokesperson continued. "The Jurupa Unified School District remains committed to providing all students with a safe and welcoming learning environment. The District will continue to follow all local, state, and federal laws, including laws against harassment and discrimination to protect its students and employees."
Tapia is now working 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.
While she won the settlement from the district, Tapia's story is a cautionary tale considering the April 19th decision by the Biden Administration to redefine the terms of Title IX and the protections it provides. Her story could become more common as the ruling bullies school systems into restricting free speech and allowing males to use the locker rooms and bathrooms of biological females. There are already many legal challenges to the changes the Biden Administration has made and will be more as it violates the Constitution.
How many more teachers will be forced to comply or face consequences of firing or even prosecution?
"These are our students, but they're not our children. And so, we have to hold that … respect for parents; parental rights first and foremost, above anything, that's their child," Tapia told Fox News Digital. "I was being asked to leave my beliefs at the schoolhouse gate for the eight hours a day that I was there and just do … whatever they were asking me to do. You know, and that was a scary thought, too, because I'm like, 'If this is what you're asking me to do now, I know it's not going to stop here.'"
Let's hope we have more brave teachers like her. You can research and/or donate to her organization at: www.teachersdontlie.com
Information for parts of this article was sourced at:
Jan Greenhawk, Author
May 18, 2024
Jan Greenhawk is a former teacher and school administrator for over thirty years. She has two grown children and lives with her husband in Maryland. She also spent over twenty-five years coaching/judging gymnastics and coaching women’s softball.
This article was originally featured on the Easton Gazette.
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