California’s Jurupa Unified School District settled a lawsuit on Tuesday, agreeing to pay $360,000 to a former high school teacher who was terminated after refusing to use students’ preferred pronouns, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.

In May 2023, Advocates for Faith and Freedom filed a lawsuit after then-gym teacher Jessica Tapia was dismissed for declining to adhere to the school district’s mandates in 2022 concerning her religious beliefs and students’ gender identity. As reported by the Chronicle, the school district will provide $285,000 to Tapia and $75,000 to her attorneys.

“Today’s settlement serves as a reminder that religious freedom is protected, no matter your career,” Julianne Fleischer, legal counsel for Advocates for Faith and Freedom, said in a statement. “If the school district’s actions were legal, no teacher of faith would be qualified to serve as a public school teacher. Jessica’s story is one of faithful courage. She fought back to ensure her school district was held accountable and that no other teacher has to succumb to this type of discrimination.”

“Today’s settlement serves as a reminder that religious freedom is protected, no matter your career,” said Julianne Fleischer, legal counsel for Advocates for Faith and Freedom. “If the school district’s actions were legal, no teacher of faith would be qualified to serve as a… pic.twitter.com/iXaIIl8Q46

— Advocates for Faith & Freedom (@advocates4faith) May 15, 2024

The lawsuit alleged that the school district required Tapia to “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.”

Jurupa Unified School District Jacqueline Paul told the Chronicle that the decision to settle was “in the best interest of the students, such that the District would be able to dedicate all of its resources and efforts to its student population regardless of their protected class.”

Tapia and Advocates for Faith and Freedom are launching a new campaign called “Teachers Don’t Lie,” which aims to assist religious educators in understanding their constitutional rights and offers guidance on how to address school district policies that conflict with their faith, according to the post on X.

“What happened to me can happen to anybody, and I want the next teacher to know that it is worth it to take a stand for what is right,” Tapia said in a statement. “Across the country, we are seeing teachers’ freedom of speech and religious liberty violated through policies that require them to forsake their morals. I want teachers to be confident in the fact that the best thing we can do for students is educate in truth, not deception.”