A Christian former teacher in California filed a new federal lawsuit against a public school district Wednesday, claiming she was wrongfully fired after refusing to lie to parents about their children’s gender identities.
Jessica Tapia, a former high school phys ed teacher in Riverside, California, is suing Jurupa Unified School District superintendent Trenton Hansen and Assistant Superintendent Daniel Brooks, alleging she was deprived of her free exercise of religion and freedom of speech.
The lawsuit, filed on Tapia’s behalf by Advocates for Faith & Freedom in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, also alleges a violation of California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act, a violation of Title VIII and retaliation in violation of the First Amendment.
Despite her two-decade involvement with the district as both a student and a teacher, Tapia was fired for alleged misconduct after the district accused her of posting offensive content on her Instagram account, referencing her faith during conversations with students and improperly expressing her opinions on issues pertaining to the LGBTQ community, the filing says.
Following a notice of unprofessional conduct, the district presented Tapia with "A Plan of Assistance and Directives," which included several written and verbal directives requiring the teacher to "lie to parents about their children’s gender identity, to refrain from posting content on her social media pages that would ‘adversely affect’ her relationship with students and banned her from expressing her religious beliefs with students," according to the lawsuit.
Tapia said she was unable to comply with several of the directives due to her religious beliefs and requested an accommodation, but the district terminated her employment Jan. 30.
Advocates for Faith & Freedom, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting constitutional and religious liberties, said the termination came after Tapia also refused to "participate in harmful gender-affirming school policies, such as allowing students to use a bathroom or locker room that does not match their biological sex."
"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. "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.
"We need more educators like her who grasp the fact that parents are partners and the final arbiters of their children, not obstacles to work around. Jessica Tapia represents the values and integrity of educators across our country who are standing up for their beliefs, not backing down. We are proud to stand with Jessica and will continue to advocate for her and her values."
"What has happened to me can happen to anybody," Tapia added in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. "My story is not just mine. It is the story of every teacher of morals and faith. It is the story of every parent whose first priority is protecting their children."
Tapia, who also coached high school girls’ basketball and softball, is a Christian who believes God defines human sexuality and that men and women are created in the image of God, according to the lawsuit. She also believes that lying in any form is inconsistent with the Bible’s teachings. The filing contends that she never proselytized, nor has she discussed her religious beliefs with students unless they have approached her and asked her questions about her faith.
The former teacher, however, regularly posts quotes, Bible verses and her religious beliefs regarding cultural issues on her personal social media pages. But Tapia does not identify herself as a teacher or an employee of the district on her social media pages, the lawsuit says.
The district claimed, and was allegedly supported by students, that Tapia’s posts were "racist, offensive, disrespectful and mocking toward individuals based upon their sexual orientation." But the lawsuit contends that was a "mischaracterization" of who Tapia is, as her faith requires her to love all people, regardless of sexual orientation, race or gender.
To "cure" her "deficiencies," the district allegedly also directed Tapia to refer to students’ by their preferred gender pronouns. At a meeting in September, the teacher also was vocally directed to "withhold information and lie to parents about their students’ name/gender/pronoun preference" or risk losing her job, according to the suit. Tapia insisted she could not lie to parents and would call students by their listed names on the school roster.
The district contended Tapia’s request for a religious accommodation would "disrupt learning for transgender students."
The filing contends that Tapia had previously received positive performance reviews and "has been adored by students and parents throughout her teaching career because she invests time into mentoring and caring for each student in her classroom."
In August 2022, Tapia’s union representative also warned the district that "subjecting employees to a political or social litmus test and proposing to discipline them for off-duty, legally protected speech has historically proven to be unwise."
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In response to the district’s email notifying her that she had been terminated, Tapia quoted Genesis 5:2, which states, "Male and female He created them, and He blessed them and named them man when they were created."
She also quoted Proverbs 12:22, which states, "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight."
Fox News Digital reached out to the Jurupa Unified School District for a reaction to the lawsuit Wednesday, but it did not respond.
