#bishop watterson

[stlacroix]

So impressed by the current student body at my alma mater. What an incredible group of students and an amazing response to the sad/unbelievable event at Bishop-Watterson High School. 

[americanlivewire-blog]

New Post has been published on American Live Wire

New Post has been published on http://americanlivewire.com/carla-hale-fired-from-catholic-school-for-being-gay/

Carla Hale: Fired From Catholic School After Mother's Obituary Revealed Gay Partner

Catholic high school teacher Carla Hale was fired after her mother’s obituary revealed a woman’s name as her partner, and now people are trying to help her get her job back with an online petition.

Carla Hale Fired For Being Gay

A former physical education teacher at Bishop Watterson High School in Columbus, Ohio, Carla Hale talked to NBC4‘s Mike Bowersock about why she was fired and what may be next.

Hale worked at Bishop Patterson for 19 years, and was fired after her mother’s obituary revealed a woman’s name as her partner. Carla told NBC4:

“Bishop Watterson is an amazing place to be, with the staff, the faculty, it’s a very positive environment,” she said. “If it wouldn’t have been for my mom’s obituary and my partner’s name being Julie and not Chris or Pat or whomever, I wouldn’t be in this situation right now. It would be Wednesday, 8th period, badminton tournament.”

After the obituary, Hale said, she was called into an office and told that an anonymous parent had complained. Then, according to the interview, she was fired for violating Diocesan Policy 45116.1, which states that Catholic school personnel are expected to be examples of moral behavior and her spousal relationship violates the moral laws.

“There probably honestly wouldn’t be a lot of teachers working here because if you go there, the Catholic Church doesn’t promote divorce, living with a heterosexual partner out of marriage, birth control,” Hale said.

Petition Asks for Justice, Respect

Since being fired, a petition has surfaced in her support. There were more than 7,000 names on the petition at the time of the interview, including many former students, which asks the school to re-hire Carla Hale.

According to NBC4, Carla Hale’s attorney is exploring whether to file a complaint with the city. Attorney Tom Tootle said:

“In most parts of the state, it is perfectly legal to fire someone on the basis of their sexual orientation. We’re fortunate in Columbus to have a municipal ordinance that was passed in 2008 that does protect people and there are no exceptions in that ordinance for religious institutions.” 

NBC4 reported the Columbus Diocese representative they contacted would not comment on the case, claiming it is a personnel issue.

The online petition, as of publishing, has close to 14,000 signatures and is available to view here.

Carla Hale: Fired From Catholic School After Mother’s Obituary Revealed Gay Partner.