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Residents and legal advocate urge Fremont to reverse 'accredited' diploma hiring change
Summary
Several Fremont residents urged the City Council to rescind a recent hiring change that requires an 'accredited' high‑school diploma, arguing it excludes lawful Nebraska homeschool and other non‑accredited graduates and may conflict with state law.
Several residents used the public‑comment period at the May 26 Fremont City Council meeting to ask the council to reverse a recent change requiring an "accredited" high‑school diploma for some city jobs, saying the rule excludes lawful Nebraska homeschool and other non‑accredited graduates.
Scott Preston, who identified himself as a Fremont resident, said accreditation does not correlate with student success and cited national and statewide proficiency figures to argue the city’s change is not justified. "This city is plainly and intentionally discrediting not only the education homeschoolers have given to their children," Preston said, and asked the council to accept diplomas from legally operating non‑accredited schools.
Stephanie Preston, also speaking from 1717 East 12th Street, asked the council to explain what it means by "accredited," whether out‑of‑state diplomas count and which accrediting bodies the city recognizes. "How can we possibly meet a requirement that the city won't clearly define?" she asked, saying parents who have filed state affidavits and spent years educating their children deserve clarity.
Seth Coates, another commenter, cited provisions of Nebraska statutes in his remarks and urged the council to direct an independent review of the hiring standard. Coates said the Nebraska Department of Education considers certain exempt‑school diplomas to be valid high‑school credentials and that directing such graduates to obtain a GED would be inappropriate. He requested the council ask the Civil Service Commission to examine whether minimum qualifications were changed after application cycles began and asked the council to identify any written authority used to exclude Rule 13 graduates.
None of the speakers reported receiving a response from staff during public comment; speakers asked the council to place the issue on a future agenda so elected members can clarify or reverse the requirement. The council did not take immediate action during the meeting; the matter was raised only during public comment.
