Teacher Fired For Having Premarital Sex

Jarretta Hamilton, formerly a fourth-grade teacher at Southland Christian School in St. Cloud, Florida, is now filing suit against the school and its principal for firing her, and for invading her privacy by telling her fellow teachers and her students’ parents why she was dismissed. And certainly, this lawsuit seems justified, because Hamilton was fired, not for anything related to her job performance, but rather because she had sex before she got married.

Hamilton was a widow with five children when she began to work at the school in January 2008. She met her future husband during that year, and they married in February 2009. Meanwhile, the two conceived their daughter, who is now eight months old, three weeks before their wedding. Doesn’t seem like a big deal, right? But when Hamilton informed the school’s principal, Jon Ennis, that she would be taking maternity leave in the fall, he asked her a strange and personal question: whether the child had been conceived before she had married. Hamilton, taken aback, said yes. “I was honest about it. I didn’t know it would cost me my job,” she said.
A week later, she was notified that she was fired. The letter that explained the reason for her termination contained some pretty shocking claims. The school’s administrator wrote, “Jarretta was asked not to return because of a moral issue that was disregarded, namely fornication, sex outside of marriage. 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.”

So…teachers can’t have premarital sex? Because a teacher’s personal life doesn’t really have anything to do with their ability to be a leader for students. I would assume that this will be a slightly harder legal question because the school is private, but I sincerely hope that Hamilton’s lawsuit is successful – it’s appalling to think that this kind of precedent could be established. The worst part of the story is that when Hamilton was fired, school administrators called a meeting to inform staff members; they also called her students’ parents and told them why she had been fired. Talk about overstepping boundaries – that kind of behavior is simply inexcusable.

The school, meanwhile, has asked that Hamilton drop the suit and “consider the testimony of the Lord.”

Photo from Flickr.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Karen C.

8:38AM PDT on Sep 21, 2010

This happened in my city also. A teacher was fired from a private Catholic school because she believed in the right for a woman to have an abortion

send a green star

Anubandh S.

1:53PM PDT on Jul 9, 2010

the principle himself should be fired because he is not a strong and open minded man and he doesn't deserve such a senior post that deals with future of that place, the students.

Elgrit B.

4:46PM PDT on Jul 5, 2010

With idiots like that running the school, she is better off somewhere else where she will be respected and appreciated. What nerve those people had - none of their business. And if she had stayed and the students asked, at least she married her husband and she could use this as a wonderful teaching experience that we ae all humans and make mistakes but it all turned out well. I feel sorry for her for being a normal human being. Are we all supposed to be perfect?

Kendra R.

4:31AM PDT on Jul 5, 2010

Her sex life should have remained HER'S NOT THE SCHOOLS. nobody deserves to be fired over this, thats just ridiculous.

Silvia G.

2:28PM PDT on Jul 4, 2010

It seems to belong to some other time, back in the past.

Yvette C.

3:46AM PDT on Jul 2, 2010

Um thats awful it is none of the schools business to fire her for that. Who cares, its not like she murdered someone

Emily H.

11:15PM PDT on Jul 1, 2010

Good luck to her! a simillar thing happened in australia, a female teacher was fired for appearing in a sealed section of a mens magazine with her husband.

Jazmin H.

7:36PM PDT on Jul 1, 2010

Who said the days of puritanical society were over. I'm surprised they did not make her wear a scarlet F

Elizabeth C.

2:48PM PDT on Jul 1, 2010

If she had been made aware of a code of conduct, I should think that a private school has the right to hire whom they please.

Sabrina B.

11:57AM PDT on Jul 1, 2010

Unless it was with a student, there is no reason for her to have gotten fired. She has every right to sue the school. It is non of the teachers or other employeis buisness. She has a life to deal with, she dosnt need people up in her buisness or fireing her for having sex befor marriage.