MIAMI, FL (WCMH) — Some parents are speaking out after a popular first grade teacher was fired after she posted pictures of her same-sex wedding on social media.
Jocelyn Morffi taught first grade at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School in Miami for seven years. Last weekend, she married her girlfriend and posted pictures of the ceremony to Facebook. On Thursday, Morffi was fired.
In a letter to parents, Principal Carlota Morales called it a “difficult and necessary” decision. Nearly a dozen parents who had children in Morffi’s class came to the school to protest her firing. The parents called her a “great teacher” and said they were aware that she is openly gay and that it made no difference.
“I’m upset,” parent Christina Lopez told WPLG. “The way they handled this was just unbelievable.”
“What she does at home, that’s none of our concern,” said Ricardo Oviedo, another parent of a child in Morffi’s class. “The fact is, she maintained a high moral standard at school and was inscribing in our kids a sense of community and love.”
Several parents said after meeting with the school administration, they still don’t have a satisfactory explanation for why Morffi was fired.
“You know, to be a Catholic, you’re taught to be forgiving. But if you’re gay, forget about it,” said parent Cynthia Cini. “But love is love.”
A spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Miami told WPLG Morffi “broke the contract she signed when she began teaching at a Catholic school.” Her contract contained a moral turpitude clause.
Morffi’s attorney told WPLG they are considering the next legal steps they can take.
Morffi posted a brief statement to Facebook on Friday addressing the issue:
“This weekend, I married the love of my life and, unfortunately, I was terminated from my job as a result. In their eyes, I’m not the right kind of Catholic for my choice of partner. “
NickCageIsAWoman on February 10th, 2018 at 23:48 UTC »
School is claiming a morality clause is allowing them to terminate. If they specifically state homosexuality is immoral then they have a case, as sexual orientation is not a protected class in the United States. However, and as some have pointed out, a blanket statement of "morality" would not hold up in court if any other immoral acts are excepted such as divorce, unwed mothers, etc.
This will be an interesting one to watch.
atleastonedan on February 10th, 2018 at 21:03 UTC »
Something like this happened at my old catholic school. Beloved guidance counselor and coach was outed by her sister in law, got fired, and is now suing the school. But she’s being smart. She’s not alleging that she shouldn’t have been fired for “not being in line” with catholic values, but that my school didn't enforce this overall (divorced teachers, teachers with children out of wedlock, etc.) and there my school was targeting her specifically for being the whistleblower of an earlier event
srone on February 10th, 2018 at 16:33 UTC »
This from the same organization that will do anything to protect priests that sexually abuse innocent children.