Columbus Catholic teachers must sign agreements

COLUMBUS (AP) — Employees of Roman Catholic schools here are being required to sign updated agreements that include specific examples of immoral conduct that are prohibited.

Examples of behavior that could get the workers fired include having sex without being married, having an abortion or publicly supporting abortion rights, and entering into a marriage not recognized by the Catholic Church.

The Columbus Dispatch reports the Diocese of Columbus joined its counterparts in Cincinnati and Cleveland in amending school policies to detail the examples of prohibited behavior. Teachers and other employees are now receiving the updated contracts.

The changes come after the Columbus diocese reached a private settlement with a physical-education teacher who was fired after she acknowledged her same-sex partner in a newspaper obituary.