Cathedral HS, teacher fired over same-sex marriage reach settlement

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) ⁠— Cathedral High School has reached a confidential settlement with a teacher fired in June for being in a same-sex marriage, the teacher’s attorney said Tuesday.

The school on June 23 posted a letter to its website, saying the school would separate from a teacher after “direct guidance” from Archbishop Charles Thompson. The “agonizing decision” to part ways with the unidentified teacher came after 22 months of discussion with the Archdiocese of Indianapolis about the school’s continued Catholic identity, the letter said.

On Tuesday, an attorney for the unnamed teacher said the situation had been resolved “to the mutual satisfaction and benefit of both parties.”

The teacher and the school, in the statement, thanked “each other for working to find a way to help transition the teacher to future employment.”

No additional information about the terms of the settlement were released Tuesday.

Full statement from the teacher’s attorney:

“Cathedral High School and a teacher who had recently been separated from employment as a result of a directive from the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis announced today that they have resolved their situation to the mutual satisfaction and benefit of both parties.

The teacher does not wish to be identified and so the parties continue to respect that request. However, the parties also thank each other for working to find a way to help transition the teacher to future employment and to resolve these difficult circumstances.

The teacher thanks Cathedral for the opportunities and experiences that he has had teaching at Cathedral and does not wish Cathedral any harm. The teacher also thanks his friends, former colleagues, and students for their support during this difficult time. Cathedral thanks the teacher for the years of service, contributions, and achievements.

For its part, Cathedral intends to remain Catholic, while respectfully facilitating discernment among the Archdiocese, the Catholic community and the Cathedral Family on this issue.