The Deacon's Bench
You may remember when this made news a few weeks back.
Now, some teachers are challenging the contract:
About 60 people gathered Tuesday on Fountain Square to protest new language in the Cincinnati archdiocese’s teacher contract.
They walked to the archdiocese offices on East Eighth Street, they said, to hand-deliver petitions – including an online version initiated locally – with more than 24,000 signatures.
The contract, which all teachers in the 19-county archdiocesan school system are required to sign for the 2014-15 school year, includes so-called morality clauses that are more detailed and restrictive than in past teacher contracts.
The contract for the first time spells out that archdiocesan teachers are not allowed to support publicly behavior that is in contrast to Roman Catholic teachings on gay “lifestyles,” out-of-wedlock relationships, abortions and certain fertility methods.
Some participants in the “March to Fix the Contract,” however, feel alienated. They said the restrictions don’t jibe with their own views as Catholics.
“They aren’t listening to all Catholics,” said Tom Flautt of Anderson Township. “They’re only listening to a small group.”
He thinks the contract is a thinly veiled attempt to shield the archdiocese from potential lawsuits – if, for example, a teacher is fired because of his or her personal beliefs.
“The whole thing is about money,” said Flautt. “This contract is an attempt to keep them from having to pay for improper labor actions.”
The march drew a mix of parents, students, former teachers and others who support their cause.
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