Can A Teacher In An Open Marriage Be Fired?
Q: Caroline had a question for The Cooper and Anthony Show. She’s in an open relationship and is becoming a teacher. She has two fears. One that her open lifestyle will be a problem for the school she will be working for and also, how does she keep it secret if she’s out there looking for people to date? Are there laws about teachers in open marriages?
A: In many states, employment is considered “at-will”, which means an employee can be fired for any reason, at any time, and for no reason at all. An open marriage is a reason that a school can let you go and you have very little legal recourse. So, definitely keep your relationship status to yourself and be careful who you date outside of your marriage.
Mostly because your sex life is none of anyone’s business anyway, regardless of what kind of relatio ship you have as long as everyone is consenting.
CLASS, THIS IS YOUR HISTORY LESSON
This is one of the evolving situations. If you think about it, at one point, teachers were not even allowed to be married. Until 1904, it was single women only.
There is debate right now if being open puts you in the “fired for discrimination” category. Is being “open” a protected class? Legally, it is not. You choose to be open, the idea of discrimination is for something that you cannot choose, like race.
HOW TO DATE ON THE DOWN LOW IN A SMALL TOWN
So, you are going to have to be super careful. Date people in other cities, other towns. Meet people on apps that are focused solely on openness and poly relationships like FEELD and #Open, places where everyone there are also in open or poly relationships. Because, even though Tinder and Bumble have an option to add that you’re open, you are more likely to be seen by singles in your area on those apps. If someone is on FEELD, they have already checked your box, pun intended.
CAN A TEACHER BE FIRED FOR HER SEXUAL CHOICES OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL GOUNDS?
Whether a teacher can be fired for being in an open marriage depends on various factors, including the laws and policies of the specific jurisdiction and the policies of the school or educational institution.
However, if a teacher’s open marriage is not impacting their job performance or creating a hostile work environment, it may not be grounds for termination.
That said, there are some circumstances where personal conduct can lead to professional consequences. For example, if a teacher’s behavior in relation to their open marriage were to disrupt the educational environment, create a conflict of interest, or violate any specific school policies or codes of conduct, it could potentially lead to disciplinary action, including termination. But that’s with anything that violates school rules.
If you have a friend in a law office in your town, it doesn’t hurt to ask what they think about it from a professional perspective.
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