Pregnancy costs teacher her job

south bend tribune ^ | 05/11/05 | LOU MUMFORD

[hoosierboy]

BERRIEN SPRINGS -- At a meeting last week with school officials, Christine John was congratulated on her March marriage, John says.

Then, said the first-year kindergarten teacher at the Village Seventh-day Adventist Elementary School, she was asked why she was four months along in her pregnancy when she had been married just two months before.

John said the meeting ended when she was told her services were no longer necessary.

In a statement prepared by the Niles-based Edwin Bertram agency, she said she wasn't allowed to retrieve her belongings or return to the school during regular school hours.

"I was very surprised. Shocked,'' she said Tuesday. "I had no clue what the meeting was about.''

Now, the 24-year-old John is considering legal action. School officials said John wasn't fired but was placed on administrative leave.

Michael Nickless, communication director for the Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, released the following statement:

"The Seventh-day Adventist Church operates nearly 50 Christian schools in the state of Michigan. In these schools, we follow the teachings of Jesus as understood by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

"Each of our teachers is issued a 'Ministry of Teaching' license. In our school system, our teachers are expected to be a positive spiritual example for our congregations and youth.

"When she (John) chose behavior contrary to those values, she was placed on administrative leave. Even though policy allows for immediate dismissal, out of compassion, her present contract continues to be honored and she will receive full pay and benefits until the contract expires.''

John said her contract with the school system runs through June 8. She questioned why she was singled out.

"Working there, I've seen a lot of things that were done that were against our policy and those people haven't been fired,'' she said.

A 2003 graduate of Seventh-day Adventist Andrews University in Berrien Springs, John, 24, said she hadn't encountered any disciplinary problems with her job until last week.

The Stevensville resident said she and her husband, whom she didn't identify, had been dating two-and-a-half years.

After she became pregnant, she said she talked to school Principal John Chen about taking a maternity leave.

"I never tried to hide the situation,'' she said.

At her meeting with Chen and two other administrators from the Lake Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, John said she was told premarital sex is an act strictly forbidden by the school system and the Seventh-day Adventist religion.

Whether she has legal recourse or not, she said she'll look next for a job "with people who accept me.''

It'll most likely be with a public school system, she added, rather than a private one.

[conservativewasp]

I'd say they fired her for being a whore, and deservedly so.

[Spktyr]

Except for the minor little fact that she was placed on leave and not fired. Her services were no longer wanted but by the terms of her contract they still have to pay her and provide benefits. Basically, all that's happened here is that she gets to sit around at home and get paid to do nothing until the contract is up, at which point they simply will not renew it. There are no legal grounds that I can think of that she can challenge this on.

[NYorkerInHouston]

Perhaps, but it happens all the time anyway. The hospital at which I worked just fired an employee who was pregnant because she was pregnant. The ironic thing is the person doing the firing is an administrator who herself was out for 6 months on pregnancy leave.

[One Proud Dad]

Does not matter. I married my wife in February ( years ago ) she got pregnant in May. She was a police officer. She told her boss and tried to discuss temporary leave or a reassigment as a dispatcher once she could not perform her duties until she could return to work. He berrated her with comments like "another reason women should just stay home" and others we had witenesses that overheard.

She was terminated the next day. In a letter signed by the city manager he stated she was fired for her pregnancy interfering with her job. She lost her insurance.

We attempted to arbitrate to acquire only cost of birth ( asked them to keep the insurance at first and they said no ) and lost wages. They became as__s and began saying she was a below average officer. All of her proficiency reports were excellent and fellow officers commended her performance. So we decided to sue for damages.

We received a "Right of Suit" showing cause from the EEOC ( very hard to get ) and they fined the city for violations or of one of the U.S. Titles. Well, after 2 years of crap we lost in a 2 day trial when the jury foreman turned out to be a businessman who had been sued by a former female employee.

Lesson here, make sure your lawyer is not a moron and government and employers don't care about you and can do whatever they desire.

[BlackRazor]

Which understanding apparently doesn't include the concept of forgiveness, and requires immediate expulsion from fellowship of anyone who commits a sin, even if they repent of it.

I went to Catholic schools for 12 years. I was always taught that part of repenting was accepting the consequences of your actions. And that forgiveness does not necessarily entail the negating of said consequences. The school could plausibly completely forgive her and still think it in everyone's best interest not to renew her contract. As an analogy, I can forgive a murderer for his actions, but that doesn't mean I believe he should no longer have to serve any time in prison.

[bahblahbah]

"Which understanding apparently doesn't include the concept of forgiveness, and requires immediate expulsion from fellowship of anyone who commits a sin, even if they repent of it."

The role of this religious school is to assist the parents is raising good godly children. It is a matter of broken window syndrome around impressionable minds.

[wmichgrad]

Being a pro-abortion teacher in Catholic school is not being pregnant. Clearly the Catholic school was within its rights to terminate an employee whose personal views are in direct conflict with religious teachings. That's why religious groups can disseminate by not hiring people of other religions but other employers cannot discriminate based on religion.

[Altamira]

"Interesting, I agree with the school, but my libertarian side says its none of their business. Open for your thoughts."

Does your libertarian side think that people have a right to engage in business via private contract? That's all we're talking about here...sounds like she broke her end of it, so the school is exercising their right to refuse to associate with her. Their behavior may viewed by some as harsh, but it does not violate libertarian principles.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

Which understanding apparently doesn't include the concept of forgiveness, and requires immediate expulsion from fellowship of anyone who commits a sin, even if they repent of it.

Wow--an entire congregation of people who never sin.

[AppyPappy]

He was kicked out of home and church when he was discovered to have a drug problem.

They'll kick you out for eating pork.

[Pondman88]

Probably depends on state statute and whether this school has enough employees to trigger legal recourse on the fired teachers part. They'll probably end up settling for an undisclosed sum.

I say good for the school, sounds like a conservative outfit to begin with--I kinda wonder what she was thinking...but she's young, being fired is not the worst thing that can happen to you...and it may be the best.

[wmichgrad]

This is true. But, the fact that she was placed on leave could be used as proof of discrimination in a suit if they do not renew her contract. Discriminating in not hiring someone is the same as firing someone for the same reason. I am not saying I agree or disagree with either side. This is just my view on how the law would be enforced.

[Gabz]

Apparently being pregnant BEFORE marriage is not in the teachings of the 7day Adventists, so it basically the same scenario

[wmichgrad]

Whatever you say, o holy one.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

I'd say they fired her for being a whore, and deservedly so.

Ah, but there's no indication that she sold her services; rather, it appears she gave them away.

I'm with those who say that this church has the right to decide what kind of people it wants working for it, but I'm not so sure I'm ready to consign this woman to hell for getting pregnant two months out of wedlock. Of course, that's only me. The way I see things, premarital sex isn't a sin; it's simply not a good idea.

[freepatriot32]

Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here

[stinkerpot65]

If the public schools are full of slutty teachers, why should the private schools be any different?

[wmichgrad]

If the pregnancy interferes with that employee's ability to perform a specific job, and further reasonable accommodation cannot be made, then they may have been within their rights to let that employee go. Having a wife who is a teacher and two children, I know that being pregnant does not interfere with the ability to teach.

[bmwcyle]

REASONS FOR DISMISSAL

A teacher may be dismissed only for:

1. inefficiency or incompetence based on evaluations that comply with State Board of Education guidelines for evaluations;

2. insubordination against reasonable board of education rules;

3. moral misconduct;

4. disability proven by medical evidence;

5. elimination of the position to which he was appointed or loss of a position another teacher, as long as there is no other position for which the teacher is qualified and subject to the applicable provisions of a collective bargaining agreement or school board policy; or

6. other due and sufficient cause.

Before they become tenured, teachers can also be notified in writing by April 1 of each school year that their contracts will not be renewed for the coming year. The board does not have to specify any reason for nonrenewal unless the teacher files a written request for the reason. If the teacher makes such a request, the board must supply a reason within seven days.

[conservativewasp]

Selling her services or not isn't the point, this religous school didn't want the influence of some damn fluzy around and I don't blame them. Our son starts in Catholic Kindergarden next fall, he's there because we want a conservative, moral, catholic education for him. If one of his teachers ever shows up knocked up out of wedlock I guarantee she'll be fired. Same as a drunk, drug addict, or some other undesireable influence. We're spending our good money to keep the trash you get at public schools away from our kids.