Report: Lawrence Catholic teachers fired after unwed pregnancy
Lawrence Catholic Academy says they violated contract
Two Catholic school teachers in Lawrence were fired last month after revealing that they were expecting a baby before they were married, according to a report.The Eagle-Tribune reports that Sean Houlihan, 34, and Natalie Ferland, 26, dated for months before Ferland realized she was pregnant in October and they soon started planning a 2015 wedding.But they were both terminated from their teaching jobs at Lawrence Catholic Academy on Nov. 25 for violating their contracts, according to The Eagle-Tribune.The couple said school administrators have acted "unprofessional and un-Christian like" toward them, The Eagle-Tribune stated. They aren't interested in getting their jobs back, but are seeking to have the terminations scrapped from their professional records so they can more easily get another teaching job."We don't want a lawsuit. But we want them to state we are good educators," Houlihan told The Eagle-Tribune.The couple has received about 100 handmade cards from children at the 500-student elementary and middle school, according to The Eagle-Tribune.In their termination letters, the school wrote that the couple was fired, "for good cause in accordance with the terms of the Lay Teacher Agreement you signed for this academic year," The Eagle-Tribune reported.The Archdiocese of Boston issued a statement on behalf of the school."When that contract is violated it is the school's responsibility to make a determination as to whether a member of the staff can remain based on the facts of the matter," the statement read. "This is important so as to be consistent in following the school's responsibility to live by the core principles of a Catholic education."Houlihan and Ferland are now getting unemployment assistance, but tell The Eagle-Tribune that it's not enough to cover their bills."It's certainly not a Catholic value to throw two people out on the street at the holidays," Houlihan told The Eagle Tribune. "I am not perfect, but what they did to us was wrong."
LAWRENCE, Mass. —
Two Catholic school teachers in Lawrence were fired last month after revealing that they were expecting a baby before they were married, according to a report.
The Eagle-Tribune reports that Sean Houlihan, 34, and Natalie Ferland, 26, dated for months before Ferland realized she was pregnant in October and they soon started planning a 2015 wedding.
Fired unwed pregnant couple, school reach agreement
But they were both terminated from their teaching jobs at Lawrence Catholic Academy on Nov. 25 for violating their contracts, according to The Eagle-Tribune.
The couple said school administrators have acted "unprofessional and un-Christian like" toward them, The Eagle-Tribune stated. They aren't interested in getting their jobs back, but are seeking to have the terminations scrapped from their professional records so they can more easily get another teaching job.
"We don't want a lawsuit. But we want them to state we are good educators," Houlihan told The Eagle-Tribune.
The couple has received about 100 handmade cards from children at the 500-student elementary and middle school, according to The Eagle-Tribune.
In their termination letters, the school wrote that the couple was fired, "for good cause in accordance with the terms of the Lay Teacher Agreement you signed for this academic year," The Eagle-Tribune reported.
The Archdiocese of Boston issued a statement on behalf of the school.
"When that contract is violated it is the school's responsibility to make a determination as to whether a member of the staff can remain based on the facts of the matter," the statement read. "This is important so as to be consistent in following the school's responsibility to live by the core principles of a Catholic education."
Houlihan and Ferland are now getting unemployment assistance, but tell The Eagle-Tribune that it's not enough to cover their bills.
"It's certainly not a Catholic value to throw two people out on the street at the holidays," Houlihan told The Eagle Tribune. "I am not perfect, but what they did to us was wrong."