Nebraska homeschooler accuses state of diploma discrimination

The American Center for Law and Justice accused officials of Fremont, Neb., of discriminating against an aspiring firefighter who received his high school diploma from a homeschooling program. Fremont officials discriminated against Andrew Coates and considered his lawfully received homeschool diploma insufficient for public employment, the ACLJ reported.

The legal nonprofit alleged that city officials denied the 22-year-old licensed EMT worker the chance to pursue a full-time role as a firefighter because of his high school diploma. Homeschool graduates are not second-class citizens, according to the ACLJ's Tuesday statement. Coates already received extensive training as a volunteer firefighter at the Cedar Bluffs Fire Department, and even received the department’s “Rookie Firefighter of the Year” award, the ACLJ reported.

Fremont hiring policies required applicants to hold a diploma from an accredited high school or successfully complete a General Educational Development test, or GED. Coates graduated from Coates Christian Academy, which Nebraska’s Rule 13 legally considered an exempt school, according to the advocacy group’s Monday letter warning the city to expect a forthcoming lawsuit. The Nebraska Department of Education explicitly stated that GED completion would not be necessary for graduates who completed their education via homeschooling, the ACLJ noted.

How has the city responded to the allegations? Fremont reported on Monday, the same day of the ACLJ case notification, that the city council planned to consider expanding the city’s hiring policy to accept high school graduates from non-accredited schools. The city directly acknowledged that the change consideration came after an unnamed firefighter candidate who received a homeschool diploma, valid under Nebraska law, did not meet the city’s minimum education standards. Unique instances like this allowed officials to evaluate and update policies when appropriate, according to Fremont Mayor Dev Sookram.

WORLD reached out to Sookram and eight city council members on Wednesday for comment. Council Member Jeff Peterson told WORLD on Wednesday that leaders had been considering the policy change long before this week. Officials always wanted to do the right thing, which the council did at the Tuesday night meeting, he said.