Teacher Fired For Bible: Walt Tukta Claims He Was Fired for Religious Discrimination and Retaliation, Quoted Christian Text and Gave Copy to Student

Walt Tukta, a substitute teacher at the Phillipsburg School District in New Jersey was fired from his teaching position for allegedly giving a curious student a Bible. He reportedly also quoted the religious text in class as well. Tukta has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission citing religious discrimination as well as retaliation. 

According to Tukta, his persecution from the school started in October of 2012, when he said to a student that had been last in line, "The first shall be the last, and the last shall be the first." This line intrigued the student who repeatedly asked Tutka about it to which Tutka told him it was from the Bible. The substitute teacher then asked the student if he owned a copy of the Bible and the student said he did not. So Tutka offered him a pocket-sized version of the Holy Scripture that he happened to have on him.

After this, Superintendant George Chando recommended Tutka's sacking for the Bible incident. Walt was fired in January of this year.

In his complaint, Tutka says, "I believe that I have been discriminated against in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and retaliated against regarding same."

Hiram Sasser, who is representing Tutka and is the director of litigation for Liberty Institute, said, "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."

Sasser and his nonprofit advocacy group claims that the Phillipsburg School District has yet to respond to an "open-records request" for documents and e-mails related to Walt Tutka's employment. In general, the Phillipsburg School District has not commented at all on this subject and Superintendent Chando told The Warren Reporter that he is "unable to comment at this time."