MrsSpringsteen
Blue Crack Addict
Well she could have lied about when she conceived. Honesty as a virtue vs having sex before marriage..hmmm. And if she wasn't pregnant how would they ever know she was having premarital sex- so ultimately the pregnancy is the real cause for termination, isn't it?
By Walter Pacheco, Orlando Sentinel
1:38 p.m. EDT, June 14, 2010
The teacher fired from a St. Cloud Christian school because she conceived a daughter out of wedlock never thought honesty would backfire, she said during a nationally televised interview this morning.
Jarretta Hamilton said administrators at the Southland Christian School in April 2009 had questioned her about when she had conceived and then fired her for "fornication" after she told them she had become pregnant before her marriage.
"I was absolutely shocked. It came out of nowhere," Hamilton told NBC's Today Show host Ann Curry. "I was honest about it. I didn't know it was going to cost me my job."
She filed a lawsuit against the school in U.S. District Court in Orlando.
This morning, Hamilton sat with her husband, Samuel Treftz, and their 8-month-old daughter, Sarah, during the interview at the show's New York studio.
When asked about her thoughts on working at a Christian school and its policy toward sexual relationships, Treftz said "if there was a contract in place that, you know, had a specific morality clause, I think that it would make a difference."
Hamilton added: "At least people would know what they're getting into…I didn't know they were going to judge so harshly."
A July 20, 2009, letter signed by school administrator Julie Ennis explains the reasons for firing Hamilton.
"Jarretta was asked not to return because of a moral issue that was disregarded, namely fornication, sex outside of marriage," the letter reads. "The employment application, which she filled out, clearly states that as a leader before our students we require all teachers to maintain and communicate the values and purpose of our school."
Their attorney, Edward Gay, who accompanied the couple during the interview, said school officials discriminated against Hamilton.
"These teachers are serving a secular purpose and, therefore, they are governed by the law of discrimination," Gay said.
In the complaint, Hamilton alleges her termination was based on the fact of her pregnancy and that the school offended her by disclosing the information to other school staffers and parents during the 2008-2009 school year.
Hamilton did not authorize the school to reveal that information, according to the complaint.
"When they let me go, they told the entire staff in a staff meeting that I had been fired," Hamilton said. "Then they called all the parents to my fourth-grade students and told them as well."
Hamilton said some parents called her and said "they were really upset about it and felt that my performance in the classroom was what mattered and not my personal life."
By Walter Pacheco, Orlando Sentinel
1:38 p.m. EDT, June 14, 2010
The teacher fired from a St. Cloud Christian school because she conceived a daughter out of wedlock never thought honesty would backfire, she said during a nationally televised interview this morning.
Jarretta Hamilton said administrators at the Southland Christian School in April 2009 had questioned her about when she had conceived and then fired her for "fornication" after she told them she had become pregnant before her marriage.
"I was absolutely shocked. It came out of nowhere," Hamilton told NBC's Today Show host Ann Curry. "I was honest about it. I didn't know it was going to cost me my job."
She filed a lawsuit against the school in U.S. District Court in Orlando.
This morning, Hamilton sat with her husband, Samuel Treftz, and their 8-month-old daughter, Sarah, during the interview at the show's New York studio.
When asked about her thoughts on working at a Christian school and its policy toward sexual relationships, Treftz said "if there was a contract in place that, you know, had a specific morality clause, I think that it would make a difference."
Hamilton added: "At least people would know what they're getting into…I didn't know they were going to judge so harshly."
A July 20, 2009, letter signed by school administrator Julie Ennis explains the reasons for firing Hamilton.
"Jarretta was asked not to return because of a moral issue that was disregarded, namely fornication, sex outside of marriage," the letter reads. "The employment application, which she filled out, clearly states that as a leader before our students we require all teachers to maintain and communicate the values and purpose of our school."
Their attorney, Edward Gay, who accompanied the couple during the interview, said school officials discriminated against Hamilton.
"These teachers are serving a secular purpose and, therefore, they are governed by the law of discrimination," Gay said.
In the complaint, Hamilton alleges her termination was based on the fact of her pregnancy and that the school offended her by disclosing the information to other school staffers and parents during the 2008-2009 school year.
Hamilton did not authorize the school to reveal that information, according to the complaint.
"When they let me go, they told the entire staff in a staff meeting that I had been fired," Hamilton said. "Then they called all the parents to my fourth-grade students and told them as well."
Hamilton said some parents called her and said "they were really upset about it and felt that my performance in the classroom was what mattered and not my personal life."