The Deacon's Bench
It happened in South Carolina:
A former Bishop England High School teacher filed a lawsuit against the school, its principal and others because she says she was wrongfully fired over social media posts.
Elizabeth Cox claims she was notified of her termination from her teaching position at Bishop England High School on June 7 by its principal, Patrick Finnerman. In a letter, Finnerman wrote the school had become aware that Cox has “a public Facebook account which identifies you as a teacher at our school and publicly supports abortion.”
“As you know, this is contrary to the mission of the Church and our school and is materially incompatible with your duties as a Catholic School teacher,” the letter states. “When we confronted you with the post, you admitted to it and, moreover, reacted in a manner leading us to conclude you would not do differently in the future.”
The letter states that parents send their students to the school “expressly because they want a Catholic teaching and upbringing,” adding that her “public expression of disagreement with Catholic values undermines that.”
The letter stated her termination was effective May 31 and rescinded an offer of a teaching contract for the next school year. Attached to the letter, Cox said, were examples of posts from her Facebook page.
And there is this:
One clause of her teaching contract, titled “Duties,” states, “Teacher understands that a fundamental mission of the School is the intellectual and spiritual development of students according to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Roman Catholic Church. In furtherance of that mission, all teachers and administrators employed by the School, regardless of whether they are members of the Catholic Church, are by virtue of such employment actively engaged in pastoral ministry and the formation of God’s people by personal witness. Therefore, Teacher acknowledges and agrees that he or she will at all times publicly speak and act in accordance with the mission and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, as set forth in Sacred Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.”
The contract also states that the teacher acknowledges that “complying with such requirement is a material condition of his or her employment by the School, is one of Teacher’s essential job functions and is a Bona Fide Occupational Qualification, as defined and permitted by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.”
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