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Homeschool advocates urge Fremont to drop 'accredited' diploma requirement for city jobs
Summary
Several Fremont residents, including homeschool parents and legal advocates, urged council to reverse a recent change requiring an 'accredited' high‑school diploma for city employment, saying Nebraska law and state guidance support recognition of lawful exempt school diplomas.
At the May 26 meeting, multiple residents told the City of Fremont council they are seeking reversal of a recent change that now requires an "accredited" high‑school diploma for city jobs.
Scott Preston, who opened the public‑comment segment, said national and state test scores show low proficiency in Fremont schools and argued accreditation does not correlate with student success. "What good is accreditation when just 35% of 11th grade students in the entire statewide accredited system can read proficiently," Preston said, and asked the council to "accept diplomas from legally operating nonaccredited schools, including those from the Nebraska homeschooling community."
Stephanie Preston described filing an affidavit under Nebraska rules and said homeschooling families follow state filing and instruction requirements. "There is absolutely no evidence that a rule 13 student is less educated than a public school graduate," she said, and asked the council to define "accredited" and restore the prior hiring standard that accepted any lawful diploma.
Seth Coats pressed the legal point further, citing Nebraska statutes and agency guidance and arguing the city's direction to require a GED for homeschool graduates is inconsistent with state law. Coats said the Nebraska Department of Education has written that an exempt‑school diploma can be the official credential and urged the council to order an independent review and identify the written authority that excludes Rule 13 graduates from city employment.
Council members did not reach a vote on the hiring rule during the meeting. Several public commenters asked the council to put the topic on a future agenda so staff and legal counsel can clarify the city's authority and any written policy underlying the change.
