Terminated NJ Teacher Files EEOC Complaint Against Phillipsburg School District

Liberty Institute Fights to Restore Employment of Wrongfully Terminated Substitute Teacher Walt Tutka

PHILLIPSBURG, N.J., April 11, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Yesterday, Walt Tutka, a substitute teacher in the Phillipsburg School District who was terminated after he handed a student his Bible, filed a complaint against Phillipsburg School District for religious discrimination and retaliation with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  Liberty Institute and a law firm in New Jersey represent Mr. Tutka.  To review the EEOC complaint online, visit:  https://www.libertyinstitute.org/document.doc?id=57.

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On March 28, Phillipsburg School District refused to turn over emails and other documents related to Mr. Tutka, despite an open-records request made pursuant to New Jersey law. 

"It is shocking that the school district has forced Walt to file a complaint with the EEOC for religious discrimination.  All Walt did was respond to a student's intellectual curiosity and the school district suspended and then terminated him," said Hiram Sasser, Director of Litigation for Liberty Institute.  

According to records, the school district acted against Walt simply because the book he handed to the student was a Bible, a book from antiquity that is often referenced in works of Shakespeare and other great literature.

The EEOC informed Walt that mediation and legal action are among his options.   

About Liberty Institute
Liberty Institute is a nonprofit legal group dedicated to restoring and defending religious liberty across America – in our schools, for our churches, and throughout the public arena. Liberty Institute's vision is to reestablish liberty in accordance with the principles of our nation's founders. Visit www.LibertyInstitute.org for more information.

SOURCE Liberty Institute