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Residents say Fremont hiring change sidelines homeschool graduates
Summary
Two Fremont residents urged the city to review a recent change that they say now requires 'accredited' high‑school diplomas for city jobs, arguing the policy excludes legally educated homeschool students and was not publicly disclosed in job postings.
Two Fremont residents used the council's public comment period to press for a review of recent hiring changes that they say disadvantage students educated under Nebraska's Rule 13 homeschool provision.
Scott Preston told the council he was speaking for 'homeschoolers' as a group with strong test results and civic participation, and said the city 'has chosen to create an extra step of getting a GED in order for this exceptional group of people to work for the city.' He added that the recent change to job postings now requires 'graduation from an accredited high school.'
Seth Coates said his son applied for a firefighter position, submitted a homeschool diploma and accredited post‑secondary transcripts, and later learned the application was withdrawn because the high‑school diploma was 'not accredited.' Coates asked the council to formally review the city's hiring policies and to place the matter on a future agenda for discussion: 'In public employment, qualification standards must be clearly defined in advance, publicly accessible, and consistently applied,' he said.
Neither city staff nor councilmembers provided an immediate policy change in response during the public comment period, and Coates told councilors his requests for clarification from staff 'have all gone unanswered.' He asked a council member to sponsor the issue as a future agenda item so the policy's scope and enforcement can be examined.
