Zachary Rackovan also claims the university discriminated against him for his evangelical Christian beliefs
A former Penn State University employee filed a religious discrimination lawsuit Friday alleging the institution fired him for refusing COVID-19 testing – three days before it dropped the requirement.
Zachary Rackovan, an evangelical Christian, worked remotely as a multimedia specialist for the university when he was fired in 2022, the Centre Daily Times reports.
In his lawsuit, filed Friday, Rackovan alleges he “was granted an exemption from the university’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement in the fall of 2021 but was still required to receive weekly testing, despite not working on campus,” according to StateCollege.com.
Rackovan asked the university for an exemption to the testing requirement but was denied, according to the lawsuit.
“If I were to submit myself to the weekly testing, I would not just be disappointed in myself, I would quite literally be compromising my relationship with God, and my eternal salvation,” he told the university, the case states.
The lawsuit alleges Penn State fired him on Friday, March 18, 2022, and then dropped its testing mandate at the beginning of the next week, the Centre Daily Times reports:
Rackovan said he submitted his religious accommodation request in October 2021, writing in an email to the university that weekly testing for remote employees was unnecessary and against his religious beliefs. His attorney said Penn State turned down Rackovan’s request to reconsider.
His lawsuit said he was disciplined in March 2022 because he was not in compliance with the testing requirement and would be terminated if he did not comply. Rackovan said he was fired two weeks later.
The next business day after Rackovan’s firing, Penn State announced it would pause COVID-19 testing for students, faculty and staff. The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission found there was probable cause to show Penn State discriminated against Rackovan.
When contacted about the lawsuit Tuesday, university spokesperson Wyatt DuBois told The College Fix the institution does not comment on pending litigation.
Rackovan filed the lawsuit after the university “refused an administrative conciliation process” and he “received a right-to-sue letter from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,” StateCollege.com reports.
MORE: U. Oregon agrees to free speech reforms in settlement with conservative professor
IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: An individual holds a facemask in their hand outdoors. Sun OK/Shutterstock
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