Robert J. "Bob" Troester U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma
A federal judge has approved a settlement in the case between the Justice Department and the Advanced Science and Technology Education Charter Schools (ASTEC) in Oklahoma City after allegations of religious discrimination against former teacher Marcus Rethwill. The lawsuit, initiated by the Justice Department, claimed ASTEC violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by terminating Rethwill for not providing a clergy letter to support his request for a religious exemption from their vaccine mandate.
Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, stated, "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." She emphasized the inconsistency of rigid employer policies with Title VII's protection against religious discrimination.
Robert J. Troester, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, reaffirmed this sentiment: "No employee should be forced to violate their religious beliefs just to keep their job. Employers must take care not to craft or apply policies that require employees to forfeit their religious beliefs or impose unreasonable conditions that question the sincerity of those beliefs."
The settlement requires ASTEC to compensate Rethwill with $95,000 in damages, update its anti-religious discrimination policy, and conduct mandatory training for its personnel. The Oklahoma City Area Office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) investigated the case before referring it to the Department of Justice.
The Justice Department continues to prioritize the enforcement of Title VII, emphasizing the need for fair and equitable treatment of employees regardless of religious beliefs.
More information about the EEOC can be found at www.eeoc.gov, and additional details about the Civil Rights Division are available at www.justice.gov/crt/.
