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OT: teacher forced to resign for being pregnant

PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:20 am
by bluejeangirl76
This should get us all nice and riled up, and battling into the night, huh?
Not that this is my goal - it's not. But I'm annoyed. I think this is wrong.

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=5742904&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1


Pregnant Teacher Claims St. Felix School Asked For Resignation
Single, pregnant teacher quits job at Catholic school in Wabasha
Created: Monday, 11 Feb 2008, 2:40 PM CST

WABASHA, Minn. -- A pregnant teacher at St. Felix School in Wabasha says she was asked to resign or else she would be fired.

The 23-year-old, single teacher has quit her job after telling administrators at the Catholic school of her pregnancy. Now, she is second-guessing her decision to resign.

A community meeting is scheduled for Monday night in Wabasha. The school has not yet released a statement regarding the resignation.

Re: OT: teacher forced to resign for being pregnant

PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:25 am
by mistiejourney
bluejeangirl76 wrote:This should get us all nice and riled up, and battling into the night, huh?
Not that this is my goal - it's not. But I'm annoyed. I think this is wrong.

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=5742904&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1


Pregnant Teacher Claims St. Felix School Asked For Resignation
Single, pregnant teacher quits job at Catholic school in Wabasha
Created: Monday, 11 Feb 2008, 2:40 PM CST

WABASHA, Minn. -- A pregnant teacher at St. Felix School in Wabasha says she was asked to resign or else she would be fired.

The 23-year-old, single teacher has quit her job after telling administrators at the Catholic school of her pregnancy. Now, she is second-guessing her decision to resign.

A community meeting is scheduled for Monday night in Wabasha. The school has not yet released a statement regarding the resignation.


This is weird. Now I know that I live in the Bay Area and things might be a bit more relaxed here, but my kids all went to Catholic school where they were taught by a lesbian couple, who happened to be friends of ours. Both women taught in the same school. They did not parade the fact around, but they did not try to hide it either. My kids were well aware that they were partners. The school did not fire them, I was on the school board at the time and it was never even raised as an issue.

Eventually, one went to another grammar school and one went to the local Catholic high school where she taught my kids history (she is there to this day).

These women even had kids and were pregnant while they were teaching.

Give me a break here.

PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:27 am
by Red13JoePa
Sounds like a private school and their prerogative as such.

With those private places, it's generally "Employment At Will" in which either party (IE: The Emloyer) is free to terminate the employment relationship at any time, for any lawful reason or no reason at all, with or without prior notice.

PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:35 am
by conversationpc
Part of the reason Catholic schools exist is that parents want their Catholic values passed on to their kids in their education. If the school is following the Catholic teaching that extra-marital sex is wrong, then shouldn't they have the authority to uphold the standards they teach with the teachers as well as the students? That doesn't mean that the teacher should be made to feel like a total failure as a human being but private schools do have the right to do this kind of thing.

PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:58 am
by mistiejourney
conversationpc wrote:Part of the reason Catholic schools exist is that parents want their Catholic values passed on to their kids in their education. If the school is following the Catholic teaching that extra-marital sex is wrong, then shouldn't they have the authority to uphold the standards they teach with the teachers as well as the students? That doesn't mean that the teacher should be made to feel like a total failure as a human being but private schools do have the right to do this kind of thing.


There is also the belief that we are not perfect but through Jesus Christ our sins are forgiven and all life is sacred. This could have been a teaching moment (depending on the grade); an adult taking responsibility for her actions and not aborting the pregnancy, thereby affirming the Catholic belief that all life is sacred from conception.

And yeah, the private schools do have the right to do this.

I'm just wondering how you explain that to children who are going through reconciliation (confession in the old days), why it is that their sins are forgiven but their teacher's were not.

(PS - not trying to be confrontational, just thinking out loud via the keyboard!
:) )

PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 5:01 am
by conversationpc
mistiejourney wrote:There is also the belief that we are not perfect but through Jesus Christ our sins are forgiven and all life is sacred. This could have been a teaching moment (depending on the grade); an adult taking responsibility for her actions and not aborting the pregnancy, thereby affirming the Catholic belief that all life is sacred from conception.

And yeah, the private schools do have the right to do this.

I'm just wondering how you explain that to children who are going through reconciliation (confession in the old days), why it is that their sins are forgiven but their teacher's were not.


All schools have a code of conduct for their teachers/employees. For instance, a local principal here in the Indianapolis area was forced to resign because driving under the influence.

In other words, yes, we can be forgiven through Christ. However, that doesn't mean that there are not consequences for our actions.

PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 5:07 am
by mistiejourney
conversationpc wrote:
mistiejourney wrote:There is also the belief that we are not perfect but through Jesus Christ our sins are forgiven and all life is sacred. This could have been a teaching moment (depending on the grade); an adult taking responsibility for her actions and not aborting the pregnancy, thereby affirming the Catholic belief that all life is sacred from conception.

And yeah, the private schools do have the right to do this.

I'm just wondering how you explain that to children who are going through reconciliation (confession in the old days), why it is that their sins are forgiven but their teacher's were not.


All schools have a code of conduct for their teachers/employees. For instance, a local principal here in the Indianapolis area was forced to resign because driving under the influence.

In other words, yes, we can be forgiven through Christ. However, that doesn't mean that there are not consequences for our actions.


Agreed.

Re: OT: teacher forced to resign for being pregnant

PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 5:10 am
by lights1961
bluejeangirl76 wrote:This should get us all nice and riled up, and battling into the night, huh?
Not that this is my goal - it's not. But I'm annoyed. I think this is wrong.

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=5742904&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1


Pregnant Teacher Claims St. Felix School Asked For Resignation
Single, pregnant teacher quits job at Catholic school in Wabasha
Created: Monday, 11 Feb 2008, 2:40 PM CST

WABASHA, Minn. -- A pregnant teacher at St. Felix School in Wabasha says she was asked to resign or else she would be fired.

The 23-year-old, single teacher has quit her job after telling administrators at the Catholic school of her pregnancy. Now, she is second-guessing her decision to resign.

A community meeting is scheduled for Monday night in Wabasha. The school has not yet released a statement regarding the resignation.


maybe it was one of her 15 year old students... ;-)

Rick

PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 5:25 am
by Red13JoePa
I wouldn't want my child at a school that condones premarital sex by looking the other way on a matter like this.
Termination may be a little harsh, I'd rather they find something else for her to do or find a way to put her on medical leave.

PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 5:45 am
by scarygirl
Red13JoePa wrote:I wouldn't want my child at a school that condones premarital sex by looking the other way on a matter like this.
Termination may be a little harsh, I'd rather they find something else for her to do or find a way to put her on medical leave.


Since it's a private school it's their rules I guess. The only thing I hate is the double standard. If the father of the unborn was employed by the same school, would they then in turn fire him? I doubt it.

Not saying they should fire her at all. Seems a little harsh, imo.

A public school is another matter and no, I don't believe they would be in the right.

PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 5:48 am
by Barb
scarygirl wrote:Since it's a private school it's their rules I guess. The only thing I hate is the double standard. If the father of the unborn was employed by the same school, would they then in turn fire him? I doubt it.

Not saying they should fire her at all. Seems a little harsh, imo.

A public school is another matter and no, I don't believe they would be in the right.


That is a great point! The first thing I'd do if I were her would be to hire an attorney and find out if any unmarried man teaching there has ever fathered a child!

PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 5:54 am
by scarygirl
Barb wrote:
scarygirl wrote:Since it's a private school it's their rules I guess. The only thing I hate is the double standard. If the father of the unborn was employed by the same school, would they then in turn fire him? I doubt it.

Not saying they should fire her at all. Seems a little harsh, imo.

A public school is another matter and no, I don't believe they would be in the right.


That is a great point! The first thing I'd do if I were her would be to hire an attorney and find out if any unmarried man teaching there has ever fathered a child!


I have heard of high school valedictorians having their title stripped away because they wound up pregnant. That's absolutely ridiculous because a. one has absolutely nothing to do with the other and b. like I said before, precious little to nothing is said about the boys that helped knock them up.