COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Employees of Roman Catholic schools in Columbus are being required to sign updated agreements that include specific examples of immoral conduct that are prohibited.
Examples of behavior that could get the workers fired include having sex without being married, having an abortion or publicly supporting abortion rights, and entering into a marriage not recognized by the Catholic Church.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that the Diocese of Columbus joined its counterparts in Cincinnati and Cleveland in amending school policies to detail the examples of prohibited behavior. Teachers and other employees are now receiving the updated contracts.
The changes come after the Columbus diocese reached a private settlement with a physical-education teacher who was fired after she acknowledged her same-sex partner in a newspaper obituary.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less