Pregnant Teacher Sues over Firing

In a suit filed in federal court in Orlando, Jarretta Hamilton said the principal of the Southland Christian School in St. Cloud, Florida, asked her when she had conceived when she requested maternity leave. Hamilton told the official it had happened three weeks before her wedding.

She was then fired, her former colleagues notified, and her students parents’ told the details of why she was let go, according to Hamilton’s suit.   A New York Daily News account of the dispute said the school later issued a statement, saying Hamilton was fired because she disregarded school standards regarding sex outside of marriage, which it considers an immoral act.

According to the complaint, the school’s actions violated the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act and Florida state discrimination statutes. By informing other staff members and her students’ parents about the situation, the school also impacted her ability to earn a living, Hamilton charged.

Hamilton also alleges that another teacher was in a similar situation to hers and was not terminated. 

The Hamilton suit is here.