Until recently, I was a California teacher working in two charter schools, one as a full-time classroom teacher of Government/Economics and sometimes U.S. History, and the other as a part-time independent study teacher who assists families with a program primarily based around home-schooling. I have taught for about five years and love teaching.
Last week, I was fired from one school and put on unpaid administrative leave at the other because of my refusal either to take and demonstrate proof of the COVID-19 vaccine or test weekly. I even filed a religious exemption stating the following that was rejected:
“As a committed follower of Christ, I religiously and philosophically cannot submit to either a government vaccine mandate or weekly testing.
These violate fundamental first principles including the Biblical purview of civil government relative to God (Romans 13:1-7; Acts 5:29), the Christian value of freedom of conscience since “whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23), the fact that my body is owned and dedicated to the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:20) and not to the state, and my sacred duty to be faithful to oaths sworn (Deuteronomy 23:21; Matthew 5:33-37), including the oath to support the U.S. Constitution and the California State Constitution.
Footnote: Both a vaccine mandate and weekly testing are in violation of the provisions of the Constitution in the 1st, 4th, 9th, and 10th Amendments, especially the 9th Amendment which states, “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” The Supreme Court has affirmed a constitutional right to privacy historically in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965). Since I am bound by solemn oath to support the Constitution(s), I can neither submit to nor support a vaccine mandate or weekly testing because to do so would violate conscience.”
Based on my refusal to back down on these principles, I was offered two options—the opportunity to resign or be terminated.
In order to force the issue, I chose to maintain my position, refusing to resign; so I was terminated. My situation was sort of the mirror opposite of the old joke-adage, “You can’t fire me, I quit!”
Instead, I basically said to my employers, “I can’t quit, you fire me.” Not everybody is in the position to force the issue, but I am. And I felt I had no choice.
Read More – I Was Fired From My Teaching Job for Refusing to Get Vaccinated — Here’s How I Prepared
