A teacher contract used in three dozen
Roman Catholic private schools operated by the Diocese of Honolulu
explicitly prohibits teachers from engaging in “homosexual
activity” or marrying a person of the same sex.
According to Civil
Beat, the contract is scheduled to go into effect for the 2014-15
school year.
“The school expressly reserves the
right to terminate the employment of any Teacher, who by word or
example, denies the teachings or authority of the Church, or whose
personal life or conduct is, based on Catholic teaching, immoral,”
a portion of the contract states.
The contract, titled “Standard
Teacher Employment Agreement,” covers full and part-time teachers.
The Diocese of Honolulu covers the
entire state and only a few private Catholic schools are not under
its operation.
Michael Rockers, the superintendent of
all Hawaii Roman Catholic schools, said openly gay teachers
negatively affect children.
“We're trying to be pastoral about
this and centered on what's best for the students,” Rockers said.
Hawaii lawmakers last year approved a
law allowing gay couples to marry over the loud objections of the
Catholic Church.
Honolulu Bishop Larry Silva last year
said it was acceptable to discriminate against gays who wanted to
marry, arguing that such
unions lead to youth suicides.