A former Florida teacher said the administrators of a Christian school where she was employed fired her because she became pregnant just before her wedding, MyFoxOrlando.com reported.
Now, she has filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against the private school in St. Cloud, Fla.
Jarrestta Hamilton said April of 2009 was the happiest month of her life. She was a newlywed and newly pregnant and teaching fourth graders at Southland Christian School. She said it was about that time when she approached by the administration to talk about "maternity leave."
She said when asked, she admitted that the baby was conceived three weeks before the wedding. A week later, she said the school fired her. Attorney Ed Gay is helping Hamilton sue the school, claiming that her termination amounts to discrimination based on her pregnancy and marital status.
"If they're going to single her out because she conceived prior to marriage, but allow people to remain employed who conceived during a marriage, isn't that discriminating against her based on her marital status?" asked Gay, according to MyFoxOrlando.com.
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16 comments:
The school is a goner.
If she signed the employment contract then the school has their right to fire her for breaching it.
However,the reporting of the details to the parents and students is a violation by the school of confidentiality. So they are not responsible for discrimination for firing her based on her contract but they are responsible for the lack of confidentiality.
The school will probably double its enrollment because so many parents are looking for an alternative to the unprincipled lack of leadership in our public schools.
i mentioned before that the nfl has "actions detrimental to the team" rules. i hope the same applies here.
No, Mr. Attorney, it is NOT discrimination. It's called enforcing biblical princiles at a ... GASP... Christian school. Hooray for the school.
Screwed twice I would say.
A Christian school adheres to a whole different set of rules than a public one. Since it is considered a sin by most religions to have sex outside of marriage, then the teacher was guilty of fornication. Even if it hadn't been discovered now, it would eventually have been clear when she gave birth before nine months. I should think the school would have been within its rights in this case. Had she been a public school teacher, that would have been entirely different.
How would this even be a topic of conversation? Teachers are hard to get and teachers willing to work for the relative peanuts (compared to public school salaries) which private schools pay, harder still.
The fact that they are willing to try and count backwards to figure out when a MARRIED woman got pregnant is insane, even for a private religious schoool, unless they did not want to have to pony up for the maternity leave.
There's a lot more Mammon than Godliness in this story on the school's part.
I guess they would have preferred her to get an abortion and keep the pregnancy a little secret like alot "religious" women do when they concieve out of wedlock.
Jees....she was engaged and committed...AND now married. Sure it wasnt the bosses?
If she can't follow the rules she shouldn't have taken the job or they're money ...
Sorry,if its a private school,especially one affiliated with a church,they have a right to expect their staff to adhere to certain expectations.I empathize with her,but thats how it is.
What would Jesus do?
Family leave does not hold here if there are less than 50 employees
But:
EEO does
Title II and VII.
I hope the place has a big insurance policy for this.
5:12 ask him when he comes back !
yes, fire the pregnant woman and leave her no means to support her child. how very christian of you. THIS is why I'm no longer a religious person.
2:56 She needs to take responsibility for her actions ! I know that's kind of old fashion in our liberal utopia but it's her fault she broke the rules and she will pay the price . Just because your Christian doesn't mean you have to let everyone make their own rules in your house !
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