V. Jurupa Unified School District Et Al
The lawsuit centers around Jessica Tapia, a physical education teacher in the Jurupa Unified School District. Tapia alleges that the district violated her First Amendment rights to free exercise of religion and free speech, as well as her rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Specifically, Tapia claims that the district's directives, which included lying to parents about their children's gender identity, referring to students by their preferred pronouns, refraining from expressing her religious beliefs with students or on social media, and allowing students to use the bathroom or locker room that matched their preferred sex, conflicted with her religious beliefs. Despite Tapia's request for an accommodation, the district refused and terminated her employment. The lawsuit seeks injunctive and declaratory relief, damages, and attorney's fees. Additionally, Tapia alleges that the district retaliated against her for exercising her First Amendment rights and that the accusations of unprofessional conduct were a mischaracterization of her character.
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