Jarretta Hamilton, a fourth grade teacher at Florida Christian School, was fired for becoming pregnant three weeks before marrying her fiance. Hamilton, who was by all accounts an excellent teacher, was terminated for “fornicating,” since she is not supposed to have sex outside of marriage. While Hamilton initially decided to start mediations hearings through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (which the school approved of, probably because they thought they could get any easy settlement), she has now decided to sue, not only for missed pay, but also because of emotional suffering and damage related to being publicly exposed.
Although the school is not exempt from federal discrimination laws as they are not a church, this has not stopped administrators from attempting to shame Hamilton and urge her to drop the suit and “consider the testimony of the Lord.”
While this case is disgusting and I could go on and on about how I think fundamentalists are disgusting and that they should not receive any tax benefits or special treatment, I will instead focus on the clear invasion of privacy that this firing represents. Although I believe where there are many cases where employers or organizations should have the right to punish members for behavior that is damaging to the group’s mission or reputation (i.e. doing drugs or embarrassing the organization for personal reasons), there should be no intrusion into a person’s personal life if it is not causing a problem in the workplace. Some may argue that by not following Christian values Hamilton is hurting the school, however, the students did not know about this until they were told by administrators nor did the public ever have to find out (of course, intolerant people loving nothing more than to hypocritically shame others while often behaving improperly themselves). Hamilton also was not some loose woman, she conceived with her fiance only weeks before they were married, thus her “sin” was in my mind rather minimal, if we are to use the school’s standards (although the Christian commentator Ms. “V” claimed that Hamilton was basically a baby mama). This school almost certainly has better things to do than discipline a hard-working teacher just to make a point and could probably make far a better one if it did not persecute people and instead followed the idea of “love thy neighbor.”
But it’s so much easier to fire someone for having premarital sex than it is to address the serious issues surrounding a failing educational environment, isn’t it? Bet you that while this distraction is going on, they’re pushing through all sorts of initiatives and cutting programs and writing new policies.
Fact is, Christian schools require their staff to live by their moral code. If you don’t want to deal with that, work for a public school.
It’s not like she didn’t know what was expected of her.
If you don’t like it, don’t send your kid to a Christian school. Religious school *should* be able to enforce their standards. Whether or not there’s a market for it can be determined by the consumers.
She knew the requirements of working there, and she had to know how they would react. I find it childish that when a person is caught doing something they know will cause unpleasant consequences they try to weasel out of it with “but look what THEY are doing” or “instead of concentrating on what I did why not concentrate on that”. How about thinking more that 2 seconds in advance and not doing things that will cause you trouble. But I guess that concept is too difficult. Maybe I should dumb it down too, “do not tell people who can fire you about things you did that could cause them to fire you.” Just sayin.
I agree with you, Kai, although there have been more and more challenges on the basis that Christian schools aren’t churches and often receive tax monies. If you’re not fully self-funded (or at least not supported by public funds) then how much can you really dictate in the way of professional conduct? Even more important, can you ever dictate what someone does outside of their job? That’s where all the strippers, artists, pot smokers, and fornicators have recently gotten into trouble–at home and not at school. But I do agree with you. She signed on, knew what was expected, and didn’t meet those expectations.
That doesn’t change my conspiracy theory mind and my hunch that they’re pushing through a bunch of other shit while everyone’s looking at the fornicator.
Fornicators are quite distracting.
Oh, I have a lot of issues with the school system to take up. I just look at them as different issues.
If you want to argue that a school espousing a particular belief (Christianity in this case) should not receive public funding, I can absolutely support you in that. But then the funding should be the issue, not the policies.
As for what you do outside your job, I think it is unfortunate that we can’t separate the two, but teachers do seem to be held to a higher standard as ‘role models’ for the kids. Especially within a religious institution, the staff are expected to be living the life they preach to the kids. I guess it’s a question of reconciling freedom with hypocrisy, and I support their right to not tolerate hypocrisy.
“Teachers do seem to be held to a higher standard as ‘role models’ for the kids.” Have you got that right! I would never even THINK about buying alcohol in the town where I teach, for example, and I’m reminded of the humiliation I felt when I ran to the drugstore to buy tampons and bumped into one of my students out on suspension. That might sound stupid, but teachers (whether in a public school like me or a private school like Jarretta Hamilton) have got to keep their “role model image” in the forefront more than perhaps any other profession if they want to give their students the right message, and the most important of these is a respect for rules.
Regarding Jarretta Hamilton’s situation specifically, I’m torn. I mean, big freaking deal, she got pregnant before she got married (and we’re talking RIGHT before). I think it’s completely ridiculous.
However, stupid as I think that rule is (and I think it’s completely asinine), it is a rule that she agreed to followed. I have to sign off that I’ve read, understand, and will follow the rules in the teacher handbook. Students (and their parents) have to sign off that they’ve read, understand, and will follow the rules in the student handbook. The consequences are outlined. Period.
It sends a serious message to children if they see a teacher get away with breaking a rule. American children today have a serious entitlement complex, and they are quick to notice when rules are allowed to be broken, which tells them that the rules are only enforced sometimes. This, of course, would open a can of worms that I cannot, as a public school teacher, imagine.
I don’t think Jarretta Hamilton is going to be successful in her suing venture. She’ll probably get a small, quiet finanicial settlement of some sort, but the story has gotten big enough where the school is going to have to fight it tooth and nail or else send an extremely dangerous message to its students.
A lot of commentors keep saying that she knew what she was getting in to and broke the rules. Was there actually a “thou shalt not fuck before marriage, and god forbid you get knocked up before marriage” policy, or are we just assuming and blaming the victim for it? I haven’t heard anything in the news coverage of this that indicates that premarital sex was absolutely against school policy (it’s certainly against the church’s teachings, but I’ve heard nothing about it being specifically defined as something the teachers could not do).
You are right that we are assuming. I haven’t seen the thing at their school. But I have been affiliated with Christian institutions before, and heard from others, and everywhere I’m aware of makes you actually sign something that states you will uphold Christian values, and can be dismissed if you do not. Some spell out the details more clearly than others, but I strongly suspect she knew full well the situation here.
This is directly from the school’s parent/teacher handbook http://www.floridachristian.org/assets/PDFS/parentstudenthandbookforweb20092010.pdf (it’s on Page 44, although the whole thing is really kind of entertaining)
“Demonstration of romantic involvement between students on the school campus or at school events is
forbidden. Hand holding, embracing, kissing, or any other contact that would contribute to undue
familiarity will not be tolerated. This type of behavior will result in demerits, suspension or expulsion.
In accordance with the school’s recognition of Biblical authority, no immoral conduct will be
tolerated, including identifying statements related to immoral conduct. The Bible strictly forbids
immoral conduct and the advocacy for such sinful behavior. (I Thess. 4:1-8) An identifying statement
is defined as a statement that a student is sexually active, or words to that effect, or language or
behavior that a reasonable person would believe is intended to convey that a student engages in or has
a propensity or intent to engage in immoral and/or sexual acts. Participating in or immoral conduct or
sexual activity, is incompatible with enrollment at a Christian school and is a basis for dismissal.”
Every teacher handbook I’ve seen has mirrored the language and intent as the student handbook. I do not agree with this mindset AT ALL, but I would be shocked if Mrs. Hamilton didn’t sign an acknowledgement similar to this.
In that case, they should ask every employee before hiring whether or not they’ve had premarital sex, or if they’ve ever been divorced, had evil gay sex, cheated or lied…
It is interesting to me that they willingly discard a teacher who is reported to have been very good at her job.
I do recall reading an article last year (I think?) about the severe teacher shortage in Florida – so severe that there were previous year High School graduates teaching under some sort of emergency licensure.
This is simply pitiful.
Be certain to follow the links in this posting, the video from the Today Show was very interesting.
I don’t understand though- if she knew the policy, why wouldn’t she have kept the pregnancy a secret until after the marriage? A few weeks is definitely not long enough for a woman to start showing, so if she had just not said anything and then pretended she had gotten pregnant on her wedding night, or sometime around then, there would have been no problem…
I obviously think this is a horrible situation and that regardless of the “rules” of the school, no institution has the right to tell someone how to live their private life. Especially when this was hardly sex outside of marriage- assuming they only had sex after they had gotten engaged, and that they were planning on following through with the commitment (which they clearly were), there’s truly no difference.
from another site: “Hamilton was fired in April 2009 after going to school officials to ask for maternity leave. Hamilton, who is married, was asked by school officials about the date she conceived. When she explained that it was three weeks before her marriage to her husband, school officials decided to fire her. Hamilton, they argue, broke school policy to “maintain and communicate the values and purpose of [Southland Christian School].”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/14/jarretta-hamilton-teacher_n_611590.html
“And before we can grant you materity leave, what day did you conceive?”
“Well I’m due on February 7th, so let’s just consult the ovulation chart that I submitted to HR when I started….”
If you don’t think your workplace has the right to tell you how to live your life outside of school, then you shouldn’t become a teacher. If you’re a teacher, and you aren’t willing to live by the example policies of the school, you shouldn’t take the job.
It wasn’t dropped on her. she knew and agreed to the expectations, and then didn’t follow them.
Kai, You are such a dork! Really. Such a dumb dork.
My sister was fired from her job as a drama and spanish teacher from a private christian school when the school found out she voted for Obama. She had brought in thousands of dollars from her stage productions and had drawn many many students to the school. The students tried to protest and were even stopped from signing petitions.
While I can understand a school being outside of the normal public system and parents sending their students to schools to purposefully be in a different environment (*cough* ie white) the fact is that MOST private schools receive tax dollars. It is such total bullshit.
“Voted for Obama?” I calls Shenanigans!!!
No. Literally. It was that ridiculous. She never led some sort of brainwashing “let me tell everyone why being a conservative is stupid” campaign. She just had an Obama sticker on her car and a student asked her about it and the administration found out and fired her. In NC you can fire anyone without a reason though, we don’t apply the “implied contact exception” to the at-will employment law as most states do. My sister has always been a conservative and just recently started identifying as a moderate, so it was a big slap in the face shock to her how some Christians treat liberals.
Some things are ridiculous. That doesn’t necessarily apply to the case in the article.
Your racist accusation is completely uncalled for. Perhaps you have known white ‘Christian’ racists, but to paint all with that stripe is disgusting. People put their children in Christian schools because they want their child to learn in a Christian environment from Christian role models.
I suppose I cannot discount that you live somewhere totally different, but I’ve known a number of people who put their children in Christian schools, and I’ve known a number of Christians. None have been racist (hmm, maybe one woman I met once..), and many have been non-white.
Mrow. Way to jump the gun. I’m actually a pastor’s kid. I attended a private christian school for a time too. Many of my close friends are christians and many of them attended private schools. But the fact remains that the explosion of christian private schools occurred simultaneously with integration. I was primarily making a historic reference, sorry you didn’t get that.
But since we are on that note: Since the schools really started largely with the impetus of avoiding non-whites they have moved away from this connection in the public eye and are now seen as a place with a moral and educational highground. Of course there are racists who send their children to those schools too, but there are also those who are not definitive racists and would not consider themselves as such, but associate the public system with poor performance and bad cultural influences which is subconsciously linked to the idea of the public school system as “racialized”.
Normally I try *not* to read extra things that were not said, so I could not possibly have known that your accusation was meant historically, and not today.
I think that some people link poor teaching and poor influences to the public school system for a lot of reasons beyond the racial mix, but I can easily concede that it’s an issue for some (whether or not they would admit it).
But you gotta read your comment again, and see if you don’t understand how it reads “people putting their children in christian schools are doing it to be in a white environment”.
I don’t know, while typically I would agree that the school has the right, as a private school, to decide on the morality they want their teachers to have, I’m really questioning the legality of this. The administration really had to do some digging to get at the conception date, and even asking when she conceived is a ridiculous invasion of privacy; asking when she was due would have been appropriate. Asking when she fucked was not.
I think a few others have said something similar but seriously. The woman knew she was working for a christian school, she knew that some of the basic christian beliefs were to wait until marriage to have sex. If she did not want to follow those principals then that was her choice but to whine and complain because she was punished for not adhering to the princpals that she was expected to be teaching and practicing is immature on her part. She needs to suck is up and move on. She certainly isn’t doing her child any good by wasting her time throwing a fit about having to suffer the consequences of her actions.
@Kai Inference works both ways. If you didn’t assume I meant historically because I didn’t spell it out, then why did you jump on a “This girl thinks all Christians are racist” bent? Which, even if I had primarily meant racism in today’s christian schools, still wouldn’t necessitate that I thought all Christians were racists as you so boldly jumped to.
Let me try to “read an extra thing that was not said”- you are a Christian?
This is an inference based on your use of apostrophes in regard to christians being racists, which leads me to believe that you do not think a “true christian” could be a racist (usually a view point held by, well, christians)
Kai, why do you try to “read” so much into someone’s comment? Damn girl, chill.
Gigi -”While I can understand a school being outside of the normal public system and parents sending their students to schools to purposefully be in a different environment (*cough* ie white)”
I understand this also. Does it mean I agree with it? No. But I do understand that some people do this.
Kai-”Your racist accusation is completely uncalled for. Perhaps you have known white ‘Christian’ racists, but to paint all with that stripe is disgusting
Am I out of line here? I usually try to ignore the nonsense ramblings posted by trolls and such and I usually like reading the comments on this site, but hell, these attacks are getting so damn frequent lately.
Actually, I spoke poorly. I took your statement to mean that people who put their children in Christian schools are racist, not that all Christians are racist. But then the way I wrote it completely failed to make that distinction, so it was more than intended. My fault.
My apostrophes simply meant to address that not all who call themselves Christians are.
I am not Christian.
Actually I knew you were not because on another post you stated you were not. I was trying to be tricky actually and infer something I knew was not true and then have you say you were not, so I could respond in a dignified manner and be all patronizing and say this is how one should respond when there is egg on their face.
But I just went for a run and now find I don’t give quite as much of a damn. But you did offend me. You pretty much called me bigoted. Yes I was calling some unidentified people bigoted, making allowance for those who are and those who are not- but I am a specific person. Believe me, I have a very very good understanding of how varied people in the Christian faith are. I left the US at 14 to live in Korea as a missionary (where I experienced some of the most horrible and wonderful things I will ever know), I come from a fundamentalist conservative family, my father is a senior pastor, and all my best friends happen to christians (one way or the other). Today I am a fiercely liberal, feminist, activist, verging on socialist (which is complex for the child of a cuban political exile to admit even to herself).
I think you are a smart person, so please, don’t be silly.
Kai,
once again, behaving like a dork!
I agree that it’s asinine that they would ask when she conceived and that it really isn’t any of their business, but she signed up for it. She needs to accept responsibility for her actions. It’s easy to shrug off an unpleasant consequence when you think it won’t apply to you.
Something that is being completely ignored here is that not only was the Principal visibly shocked when told that she was pregnant (watch the video, people!), and improperly asked the date of conception (who does that???) – they fired her.
THEN informed all of the parents of the firing and why she was fired, but not content with pasting a big ‘ol red “A” on her shirt – what to do, what to do?
OH YES!
We’ll tell her 4th grade students the whole tale!
Class act. These idiots really need to re-read their bible. If they ever read it in the first place.
While my browser seems completely unwilling to load the video, I think you make a good point. I support their right to fire someone who breaches their moral code, but handling it in that method is extremely stupid.
haha I just had a flashback to my IB English teacher dressing up as Hester Prynne, turning off all the lights in the classroom and giving a monologue on the day we began the scarlet letter… a bit odd since she was about 75. I am so glad I had teachers who weren’t afraid to tell us about their experiences with drugs or living in their van for a year with their boyfriends and who made me read books likeThe Unbearable Lightness of Being, One Hundred Years of Solitude, or House of the Spirits. And believe me that was difficult to get away with where I lived, our teachers had to fight for it. Can we please calm down on the puritanical ways we educate our students?
Ohhhh – some of my favorites, including Love in the Time of Cholera. Marquez and Allende are both amazing authors, even translated the beauty shines through. I didn’t get turned on to them till after college.
I have yet to read The Unbearable Lightness of Being. I think Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, (second only to Barcelona as far as my personal favorites) – so I will order it today! Thank you for the memory jog :)
You were fortunate to have such teachers, truly.
It is incredible how even just one teacher can transform your world. Actually the teacher I was (mostly) talking about made us all make a large letter with our own “secret” sin to wear around the school for a week. I wore a V for “vanity”. sigh. I would be a teacher if I thought I could handle being with 16 year olds all day. nuh uh. I hope you enjoy the ULoB, it is really interesting and sad and strange, a real introspective experience; I actually want to read it again soon- I probably should read something, considering I haven’t opened a book since the end of the semester (I might try for Catch-22, which I have started three times, enjoyed it, gotten half way through, and then forgot for a while and became confused as to where I was :/)
Try The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time and I Know This Much is True.
I understand what you mean about Catch 22, for me it is Infinite Jest. I just cannot finish it!
An effective teacher can capture interest in William Shakespeare by reading the first page of Act I scene i in Romeo and Juliet. You need to know what a “maidenhead” is in order to understand it, but you can of course figure it out from the context (and the omni-present footnotes).
I have been known to refer to Willy Shakes as the creator of “Elizabethan American Pie”, and my students LOOOOOOOOVE Shakespeare. There are still some of us left ;-)
Absolutely, Katie!
I owe a lot to three English teachers that I was fortunate enough to get in high school.
A good teacher can completely turn a kid’s life around.
Uggggh. I’ve always despised Romeo and Juliet. From the first time I read it I thought they were foolish, overdramatic children who were lucky to die young so we didn’t get Act 8, in which they have 6 children by the time they’re 21, and hate each other’s guts, and Romeo sits around all day dreaming of Rosalind.
Though for someone more creative than me, that could make a great project. :)
Now Macbeth, on the other hand… that’s my kind of play!
My strongest memories from high school english are of my teacher dancing across the screen to distract us from objectionable moments when watching the movie versions at the end of the study.
A truly Christian school would “turn its cheek” and only cast the first stone if it is without sin. It’s sad, I’m an atheist but I was raised Catholic, I know what the fundamental teachings of Jesus were better than these people. They were tolerance and understanding that no human is infallible or perfect. Every single teacher at that school sins every day – why was this sin the only one singled out? It’s not like elementary kids are so good at math that they could have realized a three week difference in due date; and even if they could, the baby could have been born three weeks early for all they know. But the school made the decision to castigate this woman and make her a pariah. Sad. What a great example to set for young minds being molded, young minds that will encounter pregnant peers in need of compassion in a very short time.
Well said.
You misunderstand the teachings.
Sins that are committed then repented of are to be forgiven. Christianity teaches to forgive sins when asked. To understand that people are fallible, and to move past things.
But Jesus had no patience at all for those who sin willfully.
Whether forgiveness has a role here depends on whether this is “I made a mistake, I feel so bad, I want to move on” or “There is nothing wrong with my actions and you should get over it”.
He also reserved judgment, leaving it up to God. And the forgiveness for sin is also God’s job; this woman has no obligation to apologize to the school, because the school isn’t infallible either. Hence the whole “let he who is without sin cast the first stone” that I partially quoted. It could also be “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” Either way, anyone who had a hand in publicly shaming this woman is a hypocrite.
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