pregnancy
bulldozer
6 Posts
Hi,
I work for a not-for-profit agency that teaches children about self-esteem, character development and other related topics. One of our teachers recently got pregnant and our boss is thinking of terminating her because teachers under this company are to serve as role models for the children.
The argument is: If a teacher becomes pregnant, how can she tell the children to be careful or teach about safe sex?
Considering the nature of the business, do we have grounds for the above termination? What are our options knowing that we cannot move her to an administrative assistance position for she lacks skills for this position, and there are no other vacant slots?
I work for a not-for-profit agency that teaches children about self-esteem, character development and other related topics. One of our teachers recently got pregnant and our boss is thinking of terminating her because teachers under this company are to serve as role models for the children.
The argument is: If a teacher becomes pregnant, how can she tell the children to be careful or teach about safe sex?
Considering the nature of the business, do we have grounds for the above termination? What are our options knowing that we cannot move her to an administrative assistance position for she lacks skills for this position, and there are no other vacant slots?
Comments
Maybe she chose to get pregnant! This sounds pretty scary to me.
PS She can teach the children about safe sex the same way she did before she was pregnant.
Safe sex pertains to preventing disease and getting pregnant when one does not want to. But even couples who don't want children and are using contraception may get pregnant. No contraception is 100%. My guess is that this guy needs to go to a sex education course.
James Sokolowski
HRhero.com
PORK
I am in the childcare industry, (for profit) and we pride ourselves on the quality of education and loving care we provide the 2500 children entrusted to our care. In addition, at any given time, at least 5% of our mainly female workforce is pregnant. Without checking our records, I'd guess about half of them are unmarried. All our employees, pregnant or not, married or single, are positive role models for the children. Those that don't behave as good role models don't last very long.
I sincerely doubt our parents (paying clients) would question a single pregnant employees' ability to educate and care for their children based on her reproductive status. I wonder whether your boss is truly concerned about perception from outside the company or is basing his statement on his own beliefs.
I think everyone else here gave some great responses and it sounds like you suspected termination might not be appropriate already, but I just had to get on my soap box for a sec! x:o I wish you luck. I can understand your concern!
I can remember when girls who got pregnant in high school (or Jr. Hi), they disappeared from school, even from town. Now they're cheerleaders. My mother told me that when she was pregnant, the rule of thumb in the South back then was that the woman 'stayed at home' and rarely, if ever, did she go out in public. WOW! Now you can watch 'em get pregnant on the internet and watch the delivery on the medical channel. Have I digressed or what?
On a related note, I heard on talk radio last week a young man talking about a book he wrote at age 17. It was about the damage the Clinton's have done to youth by the signals and messages the children have received. The children, in the writer's estimation, were drilled at home and in "the village that it takes to raise them x:-)" that certain morals, practices, behaviors, etc were important and necessary for good outcomes. Then, according to the writer, now in medical school, they saw all the good fortune that befell or accrued to the Clintons and the children balanced that against what they had been told was 'necessary' and confusion led to doubt which led to parroting behaviors on the children's part. According to the writer, many young people disregarded entirely what they had been taught because "It must not be true, look at them". I think the book is titled something like, "What Bill Clinton Did To The Children in The Village - from The Eyes of A 17 Year Old". I see this young man's dilemma in a similar manner to the daycare children confused by the new basketball under the skirt of the teacher. Sorry, this is philosophical rambling on my part, not HR stuff.
Chari
>saying goes, we all grow up to be like our parents! If this were not
>the case we would likely grow up to be self absorbed, drugged out,
>rock stars.
My parents were drugged out rock stars, so how did I happen to not be that? Just kidding of course. My parents would not let me have a certain couple of boys over in high school because their hair touched their collar. I agree wholeheartedly that it would be both illegal and stupid to fire the teacher. Just presenting another dimension in the catch 22 for the school, as they might see it. You are probably right about the principal. He is doing what his grandmother would have expected him to do.
Cinderella
This reminds me of when I was in kindergarten and told my 30 year old cousin she was "bad" for smoking. Of course this is a different situation--she was a family member, not a school / social type worker. She looked me straight my five year old eyes with complete matter-of-factness and said, "honey that's none of your business". I was stunned, but it closed the case for me.