TRENDING

When teacher and speech coach Matt Eledge announced his plans to marry his partner, Elliot, school officials allegedly refused to renew his teaching contract—which means that though he’s not technically fired, he can’t return to teach at SCHS next year. According to a public letter from the school president, John F. McMahon, being gay is against the Catholic Church's teachings and therefore SCHS cannot permit Eledge to teach if he "cannot commit to Catholic Church teachings and doctrines."

Though Mr. Eledge knew he was risking his job by deciding to get married, he had hoped that the school official—and the Archdiocese of Omaha—would make an exception. Almost immediately after the news spread that Mr. Eledge wouldn't be returning, the community pulled together and rallied behind him to protest, not understanding why a teacher being gay meant that he should lose his job.

They even began an online petition and took to twitter to spread the hashtag #LetMatthewTeach. According to the petition, students took their fight online to “demand equality for a great teacher, a successful coach and an even better human being.”

And they’re definitely not backing down. So far, the petition has recieved 74,402 signatures in just over a week. “He just wants to be able to do what he does, but not be afraid to tell people who he is,” said Megan Cable, a former student who helped start the petition, told WOWT NBC news. 

Regardless of your stance on the subject, we think it's awesome that these kids are standing up for a teacher that they love and speaking out about what they believe in. If the students believe he's doing a great job, and the school was otherwise happy with his performance, we don't see any reason he shouldn't return for the 2015-2016 school year. 

Good luck, Mr. Eledge! #LetMatthewTeach

Photo credit: facebook.com

by Kate Radin | 2/1/2016