Teacher Fired For Premarital Sex

[The Straight Story]

Teacher Fired For Premarital Sex
Woman Says Baby Was Conceived 3 Weeks Before Wedding

ST. CLOUD, Fla. -- A Central Florida teacher who became pregnant three weeks before her wedding is suing a private Christian school for discrimination.

Shortly after Jarretta Hamilton was married last year, she and her husband learned they were expecting a baby, according to a newly-filed lawsuit.

In April 2009, the fourth-grade teacher approached administrators at Southland Christian School in St. Cloud to inquire about taking maternity leave the following fall.

"That's when the question was posed to her, 'Did you conceive prior to marriage?'" said Hamilton's attorney, Edward R. Gay.

According to the lawsuit, the teacher told her bosses the truth: the baby was conceived about three weeks before the couple's wedding, thereby acknowledging to having premarital sex.

http://www.clickorlando.com/education/23825151/detail.html

Reminds me of Scott's Lawn Care - you can be fired if you smoke at home.

[Incitatus]

1. Or fired because they didn't want to pay maternity leave?

[awoke_in_2003]

14. Bingo. nt

[CreekDog]

23. who pays for maternity leave?

everyone i've known who has taken it has used existing sick or vacation time and not gotten any extra for it.

in theory she should've had the same amount of paid time for any kind of incapacitation or health issue.

[whopis01]

47. I can imagine some other reasons they would want to fire her as well

certainly after reading the article and seeing the picture of her and her husband.

[Rage for Order]

50. Why would they have hired her to begin with...?

If they fired her because of her race?

:shrug:

[whopis01]

53. Not her race - her interracial marriage

She was hired in January of 2008. She was not married at that time. Then she married in April of 2009.

Knowing the racial tensions throughout the St. Cloud area, I am certain that there were people upset by a white man and black woman being married. This may have had nothing to do with her firing - but then again, it would not surprise me if it did.

[thereismore]

2. It could have been immaculate conception. It's known to happen... nt

[awoke_in_2003]

16. ...

[thereismore]

43. Good one. nt

[Demeter]

3. Lie Down With Dogs, Get Up With Fleas

WTF did she answer such a question for in the first place? So she would have an opportunity to sue for damages?

[Xipe Totec]

5. Curb your compassion, please.

:eyes:

[Demeter]

42. The Religious Fundies Are All Into Darwinism--Social Darwinism

and if the mother-to-be isn't smart enough to button the lip, then the species is improved....not to mention the teaching quality.

There is no compassion in Darwin. Nor most religions, either. It's survival of the fittest. And what does humanity have as its best survival scheme? The brain!

As demonstrated in this little vignette.

see also discussion of

Man...
Who trusted God was love indeed
And love Creation's final law --
Tho' Nature, red in tooth and claw
With ravine, shrieked against his creed.
--Alfred, Lord Tennyson


http://discoveryenterprise.blogspot.com/2009/04/evolution-red-in-tooth-and-claw.html

[customerserviceguy]

6. Yep, help out the mission of a bunch of small minds

and don't be surprised when they come back to bite you on the ass.

[readmoreoften]

19. It's a job. People who work at Walmart "lie down with dogs" too. You have to to pay the rent.

Yes, I'm sure she was a conniving asshole who's taking us all for a ride. :eyes:

[bluestateguy]

4. Ah, there you have it: a busybody "Christian" school

I know, I know, "it's a private school and they have the right to..."

Whatever. Fine. But I still have the right to criticize them for it.

[Tailormyst]

7. I don't understand why anyone would want to work for one of these places

The rules in these places go against all human nature.

[readmoreoften]

20. It's this thing called a "paycheck". Those not living on trust funds are often in search of them.

Or those not married to those living on a trust fund or working for Goldman Sachs, etc.

[saras]

33. or...

Y'know, some of us choose to be poor rather than corrupt. You don't HAVE to take that soul-killing job doing evil to your friends and neighbors every day. There are other options, and they can make you happier. Look into it.

[raccoon]

44. Wal-Mart jobs and teaching at private schools aren't high-paying jobs.

Chances are people at those jobs are already poor.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. Private school, hire and fire at will

[gratuitous]

10. Yep, not like she would have a union to protect her rights

'Twouldn't be allowed at a good Christian school, and don't you go reading the fourth chapter of the Book of Acts and start gettin' any wrong ideas!

[whopis01]

45. Well, there are some things you can't fire someone for - look at the picture

I would bet that someone was just waiting for an excuse to fire her.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

9. The other week there was a high school teacher fired for sending nude pics to a student.

A 20 college student who happened to be the teacher's girlfriend. The woman's mother eavesdropped on her pictures, sent them to the teacher's employer, and had him fired.

I think it was a public school.

[JI7]

30. i don't see how that is allowed

and the mother is the one who should be arrested .

[rzemanfl]

11. Sue the school, depose everyone from the Administrator to the

janitors and lunch ladies. Ask one question "Did you ever have pre- or extramarital sex?"

[MrCoffee]

13. That case would not get to depositions

It would be tossed long before that.

[rzemanfl]

15. By who and for what?

[MrCoffee]

17. Dismissed by the court for failure to state a claim

There is no legal case here. It's pathetic by the school, but not illegal.

[rzemanfl]

18. I suppose these religious schools can get away with that shit.

The analogy would be excommunicating a pregnant nun and transfering the father to a different parish.

[MrCoffee]

24. Religious school has nothing to do with it

It's not a discriminatory firing. Any employer in the country could do it (under Federal law...some states may protect marital status, most don't, as far as I know).


Most of the states that protect marital status base the protection on the marital partner's membership in a protected class; i.e., it is discriminatory to fire someone because they married a Muslim, or a person with a disability, or a foreign national.

[rzemanfl]

27. How is this not discriminatory?

[MrCoffee]

28. There's no protected class here

People who engage in premarital sex aren't protected under the law. Nor should they be, frankly. It would diminish the effect of a protected class.


It's a stupid, closeminded, bigoted, idiotic reason for firing the teacher, but it's not an illegal reason.

[rzemanfl]

37. Yes, I suppose "everybody" can't be a protected class. n/t

[msanthrope]

35. Florida does protect marital and familial status.

But I think she may do better under intentional infliction of emotional distress...that was a pretty shitty letter for a supposed Christian school to send out.


Did you click on the link and look at the family picture? I wonder if the fact of an interracial marriage and baby had anything to do with that letter.

[Rage for Order]

51. She agreed to it when she signed her contract

From the article in the OP:

The (teacher's) attorney later received a letter from the school explaining the reason for the teacher's termination. "Jarretta was asked not to return because of a moral issue that was disregarded, namely fornication -- sex outside of marriage," states Southland Christian School administrator Julie Ennis. "We request that Jarretta withdraw her complaint and consider the testimony of the Lord."

School officials deny that Hamilton's pregnancy was at issue. Other teachers at the school are pregnant, they said, but "these teachers are married."

According to the letter, Hamilton was informed of the school's "standards, values, and purposes" when she filled out her employment application.

Hamilton's attorney does not believe any morality clause in a teacher's contract can override state and federal discrimination laws. Hamilton is suing the school for violating a federal pregnancy discrimination law and a state law prohibiting discrimination based on marital status.

[RayOfHope]

12. This happened to my bro and sister in law at a public school. They were both teachers

They were dating, she got pregnant, their contracts were not renewed. Very small town. I would have fought it, but they didn't.

[Kat45]

21. I wouldn't think it would be the employer's business when she conceived

I don't know much about the subject, but do people always know exactly when they conceived? Babies are not necessarily born on their due dates; seems to me that there would be wiggle room as to the date of conception, particularly since it was only 3 weeks before the wedding. I can even understand her wanting to give an honest answer, but how did she know that was exactly when she conceived? Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know. As I said, having never been involved in babymaking, I really don't know a lot about the subject.

[donco6]

22. Christian schools can do what they want.

One reason not to attend them. Or work at them.

[B Calm]

26. I think it would be a good case for the National Labor Relations Board!

[donco6]

31. They're exempt.

U.S. Supreme Court
NLRB v. Catholic Bishop of Chicago, 440 U.S. 490 (1979)
National Labor Relations Board v. Catholic Bishop of Chicago

No. 77-752

Argued October 30, 1978

Decided March 21, 1979

440 U.S. 490


Syllabus

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) certified unions as bargaining agents for lay teachers in schools operated by respondents, which refused to recognize or bargain with the unions; the NLRB issued cease-and-desist orders against respondents, holding that it had properly assumed jurisdiction over the schools. Exercise of jurisdiction was asserted to be in line with its policy of declining jurisdiction only when schools are "completely religious" not just "religiously associated," as it found to be the case here, because the schools taught secular as well as religious subjects. On respondents' challenges to the NLRB orders, the Court of Appeals denied enforcement, holding that the NLRB standard failed to provide a workable guide for the exercise of its discretion, and that the NLRB's assumption of jurisdiction was foreclosed by the Religion Clauses of the First Amendment.

Held: Schools operated by a church to teach both religious and secular subjects are not within the jurisdiction granted by the National Labor Relations Act, and the NLRB was therefore without authority to issue the orders against respondents. Pp. 440 U. S. 499-507.

[izquierdista]

25. Obviously hasn't learned Christian values

Lying about your sex life.

[Blue Owl]

29. WITCH!!!

Someone instill some GOP/Xtian family values on this adultress.

[FLPanhandle]

32. I'd force the administrators to take a lie detector that they didn't engage in premarital sex.

If they fail, they get the same punishment.

I bet they wouldn't take that deal.

[Dappleganger]

dupe

[Dappleganger]

34. Well, that's pretty normal for a christian school to do. The one my nephew

attended this year just fired their principal for violating the school dress code by allowing the seniors to wear class t-shirts with their names on it on Casual Fridays (he relaxed the dress code a little in order to do it). Two weeks ago 40 students received in-school suspensions because of it and the principal was FIRED. Needless to say, my sister's family won't be throwing away their money on that school any longer and her son is transferring to a normal public school (much to my delight!).

[LibertyLover]

36. Her answer should have been "no, it's a honeymoon baby".

I admire her for her honesty, but she should have known that the school would have done something like that. It's probably in her contract. Kudos to her for telling the truth, but in this economy, she should have thought twice about doing so. I hope she finds another job soon.

[Initech]

38. Seriously what year is this? 2010 or 1952?

[Incitatus]

39. 2010, but a lot of fundies are still living in the 50s. nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

40. "We request that Jarretta withdraw her complaint and consider the testimony of the Lord." hee!

[treestar]

41. Use the old "premature" excuse

How could they prove otherwise?

[Evasporque]

46. And they served shrimp in the cafeteria that day....ohhhh the irony...nt..nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

48. They'd probably fire Mary for adultery with the Holy Ghost.

[David West]

49. I don't see what the big deal is here.

I went to a Christian high school and it was a great place. Teachers there all had to agree to follow a set of standards. The idea is that they are supposed to be held to a high standard so as to be a role model to their students. Whether or not you think it is immoral, the fact of the matter is the vast majority of evangelical Christians feel that it is, and schools like this are almost all going to have a similar policy.

The issue isn't that she was pregnant, and I'd guess the chances of it being racially motivated is virtually zero (why would they have hired her in the first place if they where racist?). The issue is that she was having premarital sex, which according to their set of ethics would constitute a pretty sever infraction. The same thing could happen to a teacher who committed adultery, was caught with porn, or was found to struggle with alcoholism. Would you be just as upset if someone was got canned for one of those reasons? People shouldn't be forced to compromise their values. This just seems like a violation of the separation of church and state no different than the people on the right trying to get the government to cock-block the Mosque being built near ground zero.

I also don't get all the vitriol being spewed about the people who fired her. In my experience the people who work at these schools are by and large great folks, even if they aren't perfect. As far as I can tell, they just asked her to resign. I don't see why they couldn't have let her finish the semester, but it doesn't sound like they tried to excommunicate her and label her persona non grata, which genuinely WOULD be completely out of line with Christian values. People need to be forgiven because we ALL make mistakes, but people in positions of leadership (Pastors, teachers, deacons, etc.) need to be held to a higher standard if they wish to hold their positions. Now if it's true that they told students and parents why she was being let go (and I don't doubt that this could have happened), then that is definitely wrong.

[Dogtown]

54. Davey, do you understand the word "apologist"?

[David West]

55. Yes, I understand the word "apologist."

You do understand that it isn't necessarily a derogatory term though, right?

[jp11]

52. They have morals, like judging other people.

School officials deny that Hamilton's pregnancy was at issue. Other teachers at the school are pregnant, they said, but "these teachers are married."

Several parents at Southland Christian School support the school's decision to uphold Christian values.

"That's the basis of the school. We have certain morals we believe in," said Scott Bickel, who's two children attend the school.