The 19-year veteran teacher was let go based on social media posts on her personal account from a drag performance at Houston’s Hamburger Mary’s.
The 19-year veteran teacher was let go based on social media posts on her personal account from a drag performance at Houston’s Hamburger Mary’s.
I’m guessing Texas is an at-will state, but just going to a show of any kind in your private time should not be a firing offense no matter where you work. I don’t care if you work for the Southern Poverty Law Center and go see a minstrel show on Saturday. You’re doing it on your private time.
Religious institutions have a little more freedom in certain areas regarding who they can hire and fire depending on their job duties.
For instance, a preacher for a Baptist church can be required to be Christian as a condition of their employment. But they can’t fire a janitor for religious reasons because their faith has no impact on the work they perform.
For teachers, they probably have a policy regarding public support of the church and its doctrines that was violated when the teacher posted about attending a drag show.
It’s stupid, but it’s legal.
I have similar restrictions at my job in municipal government. I’m not allowed to get involved in local politics or advocate for or against candidates openly. As a public official, I’m always at least somewhat on duty.
Hell, I have to be careful about what I text, because my personal phone is subject to Open Records requests.
I think it’s much simpler than that. Texas has been an at-will employment state since the 1800s. As long as it doesn’t violate civil rights, you can be fired for pretty much any reason in Texas. They can fire you because they don’t like your face.
As long as the thing they don’t like about your face isn’t it’s color. But seriously American employment laws (in most states) allow for companies to fire people for any non-protected reason (protected reason = gender, race, age, etc). If a co.pany does illegally fire a person it can be a real up hill battle to prove it because at-will is so permissive.
I can’t say a firing like this one sits super well with me personally but it’s almost certainly legal.
Absolutely, but for religious institutions they can even ignore civil rights in some instances. You can be fired for religious reasons, which is usually a big no-no.
And at-will isn’t just a Texas thing. All 50 states and DC are at-will employment.
With the exception of Montana after a 12 month probation period
Yeah but in your position it kinda makes sense. I don’t think career civil servants should be out there with even the hint of their office support endorsing candidates.
Kinda interesting however that you are following strong ethical rules than all these powerful people above you.
Most civil employees stick hard and fast to their rules regarding politicization with a giant exception for police who get away with (sometimes literal) murder.
Politicians are expressly political. The difference is that politicians can be voted out of office by the public. I cannot be directly voted away. Even City Council or the mayor cannot directly fire me - the only staff members they have direct hire/fire authority over are the City Manager and the Municipal Judge.