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Civil Service Merit Board temporarily waives diploma-at-application rule to avoid excluding current students
Summary
On April 9, 2025, the Civil Service Merit Board voted to temporarily waive rules that require proof of a high school diploma at the time applicants submit city job applications. The waiver applies broadly to rules cited by staff and will still require proof of graduation before hire.
The Civil Service Merit Board voted April 9 to temporarily waive rules that require job applicants to submit proof of a high school diploma when they submit their applications, a change meant to avoid excluding applicants who are finishing high school.
Board Chair Jane Roberts said the waiver would remove enforcement of the rules at application time but would not eliminate the requirement before hiring. "Of course, the requirement would still apply to it to be enforced prior to being hired," Roberts said while reading the motion.
The board's action applies to the rules cited in the motion as rules 11.01, 13.02 and 13.03 and was described by Roberts as a temporary accommodation while staff and counsel complete a formal rules revision. The motion, read into the record by Roberts, asked that requirements to submit educational documentation at the time of application be waived so they no longer operated "to the detriment of applicants." The motion passed after a second; members answered "aye."
Bradshaw, civil service staff, said the issue first surfaced when recruiting for firefighter positions because some applicants were still finishing high school at the time they applied. Board members and staff described the change as a practical fix until the formal rule revision is adopted after the required public notice.
Board members discussed the role of law staff and the rules-review project, which is under review by the board's counsel and expected to produce formal rule language in a later meeting. Members said the formal rule change will be returned to the board with the public notice required for rule amendments.
The board did not record any votes against the motion on the waiver. The waiver was described as temporary; staff will continue to require verified educational credentials before any hire is finalized.
The board indicated it expects to receive a formal rules amendment for notice and adoption at a future meeting.
