Teacher fired for being pregnant.

buttmunch · November 22nd, 2005, 06:00 AM

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An unmarried rookie teacher at a Queens parochial school confessed to her principal she was pregnant - and was promptly fired for violating "Catholic morality."
Now 26-year-old Michelle McCusker is suing, saying she was unfairly bounced just a month into her first full-time job as a pre-K teacher at St. Rose of Lima.

"I don't understand how a religion that prides itself on forgiving and on valuing life could terminate me because I'm pregnant and choosing to have this baby," said McCusker in between sobs with her parents by her side.

The New York Civil Liberties Union filed a federal discrimination complaint on the mother-to-be's behalf against the Rockaway Beach school and Diocese of Brooklyn yesterday, charging McCusker was wrongly removed and that the church's policy unfairly targets women.

"The school fired Ms. McCusker ostensibly for engaging in nonmarital sex but neither the school nor the diocese that runs the school enforces this policy against men," said NYCLU's head of Reproductive Rights Anna Schissel.

Principal Theresa Andersen commended McCusker's job performance in an Oct. 11 termination letter, writing, "Your teaching ability and love of your children was of a high degree of professionalism."

Andersen forwarded calls for comment to the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Church leaders said McCusker agreed to rules in their teacher personnel handbook, which states "a teacher is required to convey the teachings of the Catholic faith by his or her words and actions, demonstrating an acceptance of Gospel values and the Christian tradition."

"This is a difficult situation for every person involved, but the school had no choice but to follow the principles contained in the teachers' personnel handbook," said diocese spokesman Frank DeRosa.

Two days after McCusker, a Catholic who graduated from St. John's University in the spring, told Andersen that she was three months pregnant, she lost her $30,000-a-year job and health insurance. She is living with her parents on Long Island and working as a substitute teacher in city public schools.

"If I decided to abort the baby, the decision to fire me would not have been made because they would not have known," said McCuster.

A similar case was brought in 2003 when the unmarried director of an after-school program for Catholic Charities of Buffalo became pregnant. She was demoted and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found that the charity violated anti-discrimination laws.

This is a tough one for me. I get what she's saying: the church should practice what it preaches as far as forgiveness, etc. But then again, it is a parochial school and she is knocked up and unmarried, something they seem to expressly forbid. I'm not one to really give a shit about so-called out-of-wedlock pregnancies, which are based on someone elses morality. But, if you choose to work within that sphere, maybe you need to follow its doctrines. Thoughts?

calendargurl · November 22nd, 2005, 06:09 AM

i agree that if she's being paid to teach children the doctrines of catholicisim (sp?) then she should also practice them. if i was a parent of a student there i would NOT want an un-wed pregnant lady teaching my kids about sex.....

Tiara · November 22nd, 2005, 07:33 AM

Ye that is pretty bad. When I first read the title I was like WTF, thats terrible!! But if I was a strict catholic and my child was being taught by an unmarried pregnant woman I wouldn't be very happy about it.

But then again, catholics are against contraception, so atleast she was practicing that!!!

buttmunch · November 22nd, 2005, 07:44 AM

And she didn't have an abortion, so two out of three? Not bad, not bad at all.

glamazon · November 22nd, 2005, 01:26 PM

I think the bias is that the pregnancy was the marker they used. She had pre marital sex....so are the male teachers, but because they aren't pregnant, no one knows.

If she had had an abortion, no one would be the wiser either, so perhaps she should get one and be done with it.

Luna · November 22nd, 2005, 02:11 PM

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Originally Posted by buttmunch

And she didn't have an abortion, so two out of three? Not bad, not bad at all.

LOL!

Another reason for Mary to have claimed immaculate conception

dexter7 · November 22nd, 2005, 02:19 PM

very sticky sticky situation. i'm not sure which side is correct....

chonesy · November 22nd, 2005, 02:40 PM

Its great she got fired. Morals are morals. She is teaching kids. The Catholic Church is a private institution - they should be able to uphold the rules as they see fit. She is not exactly a role model for kids now is she?

dexter7 · November 22nd, 2005, 02:54 PM

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Originally Posted by Frank_Rizzo

I think it's bullshit. I understand where the school is coming from, but it just seems so passe to really believe people aren't having premarital sex... even *gasp* Catholics!

Catholics are against premarital sex (which quite obviously doesn't stop Catholics from doing it!), they're against birth control and also against abortion. So WTF is she supposed to do? Not have sex? Not gonna happen.

I can't totally side with the woman because she knows what's expected of her. But it seems like it's discriminatory nonetheless.

those things in bold print aren't visually obvious to children.

jbf · November 22nd, 2005, 03:01 PM

I teach at a Catholic high school and my fiance teaches at a Catholic elementary school. If I were to get pregnant before we are married, I think we both would be fired because pre-marital sex is against Catholic teaching and we as teachers are supposed to set a good example. I'm not surprised by this story at all.

hammer · November 22nd, 2005, 03:05 PM

Why didn't they just tell the kids it was the Immaculate Conception Part Deux????

Isn't he supposed to be coming back under the Anti Christ Bush's Regime??

glamazon · November 22nd, 2005, 03:59 PM

Chonesy, is that you?!?!

YAY! I know you from a different site, and my question is...what the hell happened to it?! it's just gone...

sputnik · November 22nd, 2005, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glamazon

Chonesy, is that you?!?!

YAY! I know you from a different site, and my question is...what the hell happened to it?! it's just gone...

hi. i'm also on the other place, if it's SF you're talking about. they're moving to a new server, so the site will be down for a while. once it's done i think a link will appear to the new place, and you'll probably get an e-mail.

buttmunch · November 23rd, 2005, 04:35 AM

Quote:

Why didn't they just tell the kids it was the Immaculate Conception Part Deux????

Isn't he supposed to be coming back under the Anti Christ Bush's Regime??

deckchick · November 23rd, 2005, 12:24 PM

I think that is a complete crock. The men are doing the nasty all the time.

Put her on leave or something. No way she should lose her livelihood because of this. Or better yet, pretend she is a kiddy-diddling priest and just transfer her.

BTW, is this school funded with tax dollars? I know our catholic schools are publicly funded here in Canada, and that shit would not fly here.

I don't want to turn this into a Catholic bashing tread, but IMO that church has no business reprimanding anyone regarding sex. Until they clean their own house and get rid of all those pedophile priests, they need to chill.