By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Fremont, Nebraska, rejected firefighter applicant Andrew Coates, 22, in April because his homeschool diploma did not come from an accredited high school.
- The original job posting required only a high school diploma or GED; the city later amended it to specify graduation from an “accredited” high school.
- Nebraska classifies homeschools as non-accredited private schools operating under a state exemption, known as Rule 13.
- Coates, a Cedar Bluffs volunteer firefighter and certified EMT, appealed to Fremont’s Civil Service Commission, which held a hearing on his case Friday.
- Coates’ father said the family is exploring legal options; Fremont’s human resources director and fire chief did not respond to requests for comment.
FREMONT, Neb. — A Nebraska volunteer firefighter is challenging Fremont’s decision to reject his application for a career firefighter position because his diploma came from a homeschool rather than an accredited high school, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
Andrew Coates, 22, a volunteer firefighter in Cedar Bluffs and a state-certified EMT, applied to the Fremont Fire Department in April. The department’s original job posting required applicants to have graduated from high school or obtained a GED. According to Coates’ father, Seth Coates, Fremont Human Resources Director Jennifer McDuffee said the requirement implied the diploma must come from an accredited school; the city subsequently revised the job posting to specify “graduation from an accredited high school.”
Under Nebraska law, homeschools are classified as non-approved, non-accredited private schools. Parents who homeschool their children can file for exempt status under a provision known as Rule 13, allowing them to forgo state accreditation requirements while still complying with mandatory school attendance law, according to the Nebraska Department of Education. The department reported 14,613 exempt or homeschooled students statewide in the 2023-24 school year, with about 64% citing religious reasons; the number of exempt students rose sharply during the 2020-21 school year and has remained elevated since.
“We understood that our homeschool operated legally under Nebraska’s Rule 13 and was exempt from the state’s accreditation requirements,” Seth Coates told the World-Herald. “What we never imagined was that the City of Fremont would treat the absence of accreditation — an inherent and legally permitted feature of Rule 13 education — as a basis for disqualifying Andrew from public employment.”
Andrew Coates appealed to Fremont’s Civil Service Commission, which held a hearing on his case Friday. “We’re not mad about one applicant, my application,” Coates told WOWT. “I think now it’s turned into we want to make sure that every homeschooler has an equal opportunity.” Seth Coates said commissioners appeared to acknowledge irregularities in the process but concluded they could not address broader city policy; he said city representatives indicated there is no formal policy barring homeschool graduates from consideration. He also noted that McDuffee, whom he said made the original decision, serves as secretary of the commission that heard the appeal.
Cedar Bluffs Fire Chief Chris Lichtenberg testified at the hearing that Fremont was “missing out” on a qualified candidate and said the city was “discriminating against him” based on his homeschooling, according to WOWT.
Seth Coates said his son was advised to obtain a GED to resolve the issue, but that the GED application process does not include an option for homeschool graduates, and that the Nebraska Department of Education told him a GED was not an appropriate route for someone who had completed a homeschool diploma. Fremont’s human resources director and fire chief did not respond to requests for comment on the requirement or how many applicants it may have affected. Seth Coates said the family is exploring legal options.