Christian teacher, New Mexico school district reach settlement after firing, EEOC complaint

A Hispanic Christian teacher who says he was fired because of religious discrimination has reached a settlement with the New Mexico school district that dismissed him after complaints related to how he taught immigration and showing his class a Charlie Kirk video. 

Jarrell Botello, a former American history teacher who has since retired, was fired last year by the Aztec Municipal School District’s school board and and accused of racism, reportedly over how he taught certain subjects in his class.

Liberty Counsel, a Christian legal group that helped Botello file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), announced the settlement in a statement Monday. Both sides agreed not disclose the details of the settlement.

“Teachers of any faith who accurately teach about the current immigration debate or Christianity’s influences on our Founders within an approved history curriculum should not have to fear for their jobs,” said Mat Staver, Liberty Counsel’s founder and chairman.

“The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recognized there were elements of discrimination in Jarrell Botello’s firing to recommend that the Aztec Municipal School District enter a settlement agreement. Discriminating against teachers can be a costly mistake, and school districts need to do a better job in protecting good teachers.”

The Christian Post reached out to Liberty Counsel for more information about the settlement, but the legal group declined to provide any details, including whether it was a “favorable settlement” for its client. 

CP also contacted the Aztec Municipal School District, but the district did not respond by press time.

According to Liberty Counsel, a parent complained to school officials after Botello taught a social studies class in which he, among other things, presented multiple views on the immigration debate. He also showed a video of the late conservative commentator Charlie Kirk summarizing the Christian views of the Founding Fathers.

The parent accused Botello of teaching “religion, hate, and racism.” Officials placed Botello on administrative leave for several months while they investigated his conduct.

Botello was fired, and in July 2025, the school board voted 3-2 to uphold his dismissal. In response, he filed a complaint with the EEOC.

Botello said the curriculum he used had been approved by the school district and that a non-Christian teacher had used the same materials without incident.

“I believe I was a victim of anti-Christian bias in the teaching profession, as a Christian teacher, who taught accurate American history, and as a Hispanic teacher, who accurately described the current political debate about immigration to his students,” he wrote in his complaint.

“The parent disagreed about Christianity’s influence on early America, and about accurately teaching students about the political debate over citizenship. If I had been a known Buddhist or Muslim teacher, teaching the same material, that parent would not have complained.”

In August, the school board voted 4-0 to approve an EEOC-backed settlement agreement with Botello.