Is this a legal hiring policy?
I will be graduating with a Masters degree in special education and reading in May 2009. I applied for a position in my kid’s school and filled out the application honestly and answered yes I was divorced. I have an annulment from my church. The kid’s school told me they would not hire me as a classroom teacher because of the divorce, but they would hire me as an assistant teacher because they need someone on staff who has HQT status. (Highly Qualified Teacher status allows schools to apply for grants for technology items)
Why am I being rejected as a teacher because of a 15 year old divorce at a protestant Christian School?
I agree with Benton. As an HR Manager, I know you can’t ask questions like that under normal circumstances, but churches and religious institutions have different rules than private employers. For instance, I know it’s not illegal for a church to fire a pastor who comes out and admits to being gay. It’s against their teachings, so it’s legal. Legal because they are a church and fall under different regulations. (I recently read about this case in one of my HR newsletters. This happened at a church in Southern California.) In your case, it’s a Christian school, a private school, so they are likely allowed to do so.
It doesn’t seem fair, but they are allowed to follow their rules and beliefs. Good luck to you!
