Lawsuit filed against school district for unlawful discrimination against employee with a religious exemption for the COVID-19 vaccine, who was singled out for mask-wearing and subsequently terminated despite a valid medical exemption

In August 2023, Advocates filed a lawsuit against Fallbrook Union Elementary School for unlawful discrimination. Nicole Velasco had a religious exemption for the COVID-19 vaccine. As such, she was singled out and required to wear a mask at all times. After becoming disabled due to a severe face injury, Ms. Velasco was unable to comply with the masking requirement per her medical exemption. Despite her valid medical notes, the District refused to offer her a reasonable accommodation and, instead, punished her by placing her on unpaid leave and eventually terminating her employment.

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About Advocates for Faith & Freedom (www.faith-freedom.com): Advocates for Faith & Freedom is a non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting constitutional and religious liberty in the courts. Our mission is to engage in cases that will uphold our religious liberty and America’s heritage and to educate Americans about our fundamental constitutional rights.

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