A federal judge has approved a settlement requiring an Oklahoma City charter school to pay $95,000 to a former teacher who was fired after being denied a religious exemption from the school’s vaccine mandate, the Justice Department announced Friday.
The lawsuit alleged that Advanced Science and Technology Education Charter Schools (ASTEC) violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act when it terminated Marcus Rethwill for failing to provide a clergy letter supporting his religious exemption request.
“When employees’ religious principles conflict with work rules, they should not be forced to choose between practicing their religion and keeping their jobs if a reasonable accommodation can be made,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Under the consent decree, ASTEC must also revise its anti-religious discrimination policy and provide mandatory training to personnel.
U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester for the Western District of Oklahoma emphasized that employers must avoid policies that question the sincerity of religious beliefs or force employees to forfeit those beliefs to maintain employment.
The case originated with an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation, which referred the matter to the Justice Department after attempts to resolve the discrimination charge failed.
