Not long ago, a Christian could teach health class at a public school without being required to violate their most basic beliefs. But in Massachusetts, it’s become almost impossible to do so. As schools introduce increasingly radical sex education curriculums – including lessons that promote gender ideology, endorse teen sex, and support abortion – Christians have been pushed out of positions where they could have a positive influence on young students navigating these sensitive issues.
One teacher, Beth*, recently reached out to us about this exact issue. Beth was hired to teach middle school health at a public school. But this year, the school introduced one of the most extreme sex education curriculums we’ve seen, covering all of the topics above and more. As a committed Christian, Beth could not in good conscience teach these lessons to her students. To do so would be to tell them lies about God’s design for creation and blur the lines between right and wrong.
Distressed at the thought that she could lose her job if she didn’t agree to teach the curriculum, Beth reached out to MFI for help. We explained that she had a legal right to a reasonable religious accommodation for any workplace requirement that violated her sincere religious beliefs. We walked her through the process of submitting a religious accommodation request and helped her draft the request.
Thankfully, the school decided to reduce the number of sex ed lessons so that Beth was only scheduled to teach one lesson that she objected to. After Beth submitted her accommodation request, her supervisor was understanding and agreed to have another teacher teach this lesson. Beth’s religious beliefs were accommodated and she was very relieved that she did not have to choose between her job and her beliefs. Now, she can continue to point her students in the right direction without compromising her faith.
If you or someone you know is being asked to violate your religious beliefs in order to keep your job, please reach out to us at contact@malibertylegal.org. We want to help.
Please consider donating to enable us to help more teachers like Beth stand strong in their religious convictions!
*A pseudonym has been used in this story to protect our client’s identity.
