Teacher Fired For Giving Student Pocket Sized Bible, Sues School District For Discrimination

A substitute teacher in Phillipsburg, New Jersey was fired after giving a curious student a Bible.

The fired teacher, Walta Tutka has since sued the Phillipsburg school district for religious discrimination. According to Yahoo News and The Warren Report Tutka says his case began on October 12.

According to the reports the fired teacher was speaking with a student standing in the last spot on line. He quoted a line from the Bible often seen in the Gospels of Mark and John.

"The first shall be the last, and the last shall be the first."

When the student asked his teacher where the line came from, Tutka explained it came from the Bible. The fired teacher then asked his student if he owned a Bible. When the student replied "no" his teacher gave him a pocket Bible.

According to other reports, Superintendent George Chando told Tutka he was going to recommend that the teacher be fired for giving the student a Bible. On January 14, Tutka was fired.

"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," the fired teacher's complaint says, according to Yahoo.

The teacher fired for giving a student a Bible is being represented legally by a Texas based conservative Christian group, the Liberty Institute.   

Yahoo News reports, "It is shocking that the school district has forced Walt to file a complaint with the EEOC for religious discrimination," Hiram Sasser, director of litigation for Liberty Institute," told The Warren Reporter. "All Walt did was respond to a student's intellectual curiosity and the school district suspended and then terminated him."

The Phillipsburg school district is not responding to requests from the media regarding comments. The Warren Reporter received a response of "no comment" when contacting Superintendent Chando.

There is no further information on the status of Walta Tutka's case.