Almost 50 teachers at Madison Metropolitan School District were either terminated, or had to resign or retire due to being denied exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. | Unsplash/Mufid Majnun
Almost 50 teachers at Madison Metropolitan School District were either terminated, or had to resign or retire due to being denied exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. | Unsplash/Mufid Majnun
A Madison teacher who was fired for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccination said he might sue to challenge "unequal application" of the religious exemption process.
Eighty staff members at the Madison Metropolitan School District have applied for a religious exemption to a COVID-19 vaccination mandate with 57 being denied. Of those denied, eight received their vaccination while 49 others either resigned, retired or were fired, according to a report by The Cap Times.
The school board unanimously approved a COVID-19 mandate for staff in September and staff were required to be vaccinated or submit an exemption by Nov. 1. La Follette High School technology and engineering teacher Nathan Hataj has not had to be vaccinated in the past for religious purposes. He filed an exemption request but was denied unexpectedly. He appealed the decision but was told that if he did not get his first shot by Jan. 14 he would be fired by Jan. 21.
Despite poor communication from the school, Hataj said he was told through email that his employment had been terminated.
“I am still yet to receive any formal notice of termination from MMSD,” Hataj said.
Other teachers have had similar interactions with the district, the report by The Cap Times noted. A district spokesperson said they had been working hard with the staff members to find the best outcome.
Hataj told The Cap that his Christian faith is the reason for his desire to not be vaccinated, and he knows of others in the district whose exemptions were approved. He was told that his documentation did not clearly establish “a sincerely held, individualized religious belief.” Hataj said that faith is the most important part of his life, and while he did not want to leave his job as he loves his students, he had to choose his faith. In his exemption he cited parts of the Bible, including one saying “my body is not my own, it is the temple of God.”
Hataj said he plans to take legal action and that the district is in violation of the Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Law.
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