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A Christian teacher who was fired for refusing to lie to parents by keeping their child's gender transition hidden from them is calling out the California school district that she says terminated her due to her faith.
Jessica Tapia, a former teacher at the Jurupa Unified School District, blew the whistle to Fox News, saying that she had to "pick" between being a teacher and being a Christian.
"I knew immediately, like in my gut, in my heart, in my soul, that there was a decision I had to make because, you know, these two things were totally butting heads," she said. "I essentially had to pick one. Am I going to obey the [directives] in the [district] that are not lining up with… my own beliefs, convictions and faith? Or am I going to stay true…, choose my faith, choose to be obedient to… the way the Lord has called me to live. And so it was crazy to be in the position where I realized that I couldn't be a Christian and a teacher."
Tapia, a physical education teacher, also banned "male genitals" from the girls' locker room, going against Jurupa USD's policy to allow students to use whichever facility corresponds with how they identify.
The termination letter from Superintendent Trenton Hansen blatantly put that the district won't "accommodate" Tapia's religious beliefs.
"The district cannot accommodate your religious beliefs that... prohibit you from maintaining a student's gender identity and refraining from disclosing a student's gender identity from his/her/their parent(s)/guardians," the notice read.
"Consequentially, the District will release you from your employment effective at the end of the day on January 31, 2023," the notice said.
Such policies prohibiting teachers from sharing information about a student's gender identity or gender transition have been sprouting up across the US.
Alaska, Hawaii, Illinois, and Washington, DC, are among the states and jurisdictions with similar rules in place.
Tapia continued, saying, "According to my school district, students have privacy. And so if a student shares information regarding a pronoun preference or thinking they may be the opposite gender of what they biologically are, if they share that information with a teacher, we are supposed to keep that info from parents in case the parent doesn't know."
"And there's so many issues with that. How do we know the parent doesn't know? Number two, …we're talking [about] 12, 13, 14, 15-year-olds. I don't believe [kids] should have this 'privacy' to where their parents are being left in the dark about some very pertinent information about their well-being."
She continued, saying her belief that "God created man and woman," means that individuals confused about their gender identity are suffering from "lies and confusion from the devil."
"We're talking about children. This is a very moldable time in life… [when] the brain is developing and it's so important that you have… good people to look up to, good models in your life, good teaching," Tapia added. She has retained a lawyer from the Pacific Justice Institute and is intending to sue the district.
A spokesperson from Jurupa USD told Fox that "the District denies the allegations raised by Ms. Tapia," citing "anti-discrimination laws."
"The District takes seriously its obligation to accommodate its employee's religious beliefs. Simultaneously, the District is obligated to comply with all local, state, and federal laws, including anti-discrimination laws and laws that protect students' rights to privacy, which are in place to protect the nearly 2,500 employees and 18,000 students we serve. We cannot comment further on personnel matters," the district's statement said.
When asked if teachers had to lie to parents about their child's gender identities to remain in compliance, the spokesperson responded; "The District is required to comply with all state and federal laws, including the California Education Code which guarantees a student's right to participate in sex-segregated school activities and to use facilities consistent with the student’s gender identity, regardless of the gender listed on the student's records."
"The District is also obligated to protect a student's right to privacy which is guaranteed by state and federal antidiscrimination laws and the California Constitution. The District will continue to protect the rights of all students and staff as required by law."
Jessica Tapia, a former teacher at the Jurupa Unified School District, blew the whistle to Fox News, saying that she had to "pick" between being a teacher and being a Christian.
"I knew immediately, like in my gut, in my heart, in my soul, that there was a decision I had to make because, you know, these two things were totally butting heads," she said. "I essentially had to pick one. Am I going to obey the [directives] in the [district] that are not lining up with… my own beliefs, convictions and faith? Or am I going to stay true…, choose my faith, choose to be obedient to… the way the Lord has called me to live. And so it was crazy to be in the position where I realized that I couldn't be a Christian and a teacher."
Tapia, a physical education teacher, also banned "male genitals" from the girls' locker room, going against Jurupa USD's policy to allow students to use whichever facility corresponds with how they identify.
The termination letter from Superintendent Trenton Hansen blatantly put that the district won't "accommodate" Tapia's religious beliefs.
"The district cannot accommodate your religious beliefs that... prohibit you from maintaining a student's gender identity and refraining from disclosing a student's gender identity from his/her/their parent(s)/guardians," the notice read.
"Consequentially, the District will release you from your employment effective at the end of the day on January 31, 2023," the notice said.
Such policies prohibiting teachers from sharing information about a student's gender identity or gender transition have been sprouting up across the US.
Alaska, Hawaii, Illinois, and Washington, DC, are among the states and jurisdictions with similar rules in place.
Tapia continued, saying, "According to my school district, students have privacy. And so if a student shares information regarding a pronoun preference or thinking they may be the opposite gender of what they biologically are, if they share that information with a teacher, we are supposed to keep that info from parents in case the parent doesn't know."
"And there's so many issues with that. How do we know the parent doesn't know? Number two, …we're talking [about] 12, 13, 14, 15-year-olds. I don't believe [kids] should have this 'privacy' to where their parents are being left in the dark about some very pertinent information about their well-being."
She continued, saying her belief that "God created man and woman," means that individuals confused about their gender identity are suffering from "lies and confusion from the devil."
"We're talking about children. This is a very moldable time in life… [when] the brain is developing and it's so important that you have… good people to look up to, good models in your life, good teaching," Tapia added. She has retained a lawyer from the Pacific Justice Institute and is intending to sue the district.
A spokesperson from Jurupa USD told Fox that "the District denies the allegations raised by Ms. Tapia," citing "anti-discrimination laws."
"The District takes seriously its obligation to accommodate its employee's religious beliefs. Simultaneously, the District is obligated to comply with all local, state, and federal laws, including anti-discrimination laws and laws that protect students' rights to privacy, which are in place to protect the nearly 2,500 employees and 18,000 students we serve. We cannot comment further on personnel matters," the district's statement said.
When asked if teachers had to lie to parents about their child's gender identities to remain in compliance, the spokesperson responded; "The District is required to comply with all state and federal laws, including the California Education Code which guarantees a student's right to participate in sex-segregated school activities and to use facilities consistent with the student’s gender identity, regardless of the gender listed on the student's records."
"The District is also obligated to protect a student's right to privacy which is guaranteed by state and federal antidiscrimination laws and the California Constitution. The District will continue to protect the rights of all students and staff as required by law."
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