Jessica Tapia, a gym teacher from the Inland Empire, has reached a $360,000 settlement with the Jurupa Unified School District in Riverside County, citing religious beliefs in her refusal to comply with the district’s LGBTQ policies.
The settlement, reported by The Press-Enterprise, comes after Tapia was placed on administrative leave in 2022 and subsequently terminated in 2023 for refusing to adhere to state laws prohibiting discrimination against transgender and gender-nonconforming students. Patch reported Tapia’s stance, noting her assertion that the policies conflicted with her Christian faith.
In a social media post announcing the settlement, Tapia expressed her commitment to standing for truth and her religious convictions, emphasizing her refusal to compromise by lying to students or parents about gender identity or allowing boys into girls’ locker rooms.
District spokesperson Jacqueline Paul, in a statement to The Press-Enterprise, clarified that the settlement did not imply any admission of fault or wrongdoing on the part of the district. Paul explained that the decision to settle was reached in collaboration with the district’s self-insurance administrators, aiming to prioritize the welfare of students and allocate resources towards their needs, irrespective of their protected class status.