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Title: Atheist Father Costs Son Job; Faithless School Makes Son Rich
Author:
ID: LL162
Issue: SU2-3
Issue Date: 2005-05-01
Edition: School
Type: Article

Body: An outspoken atheist may have caused his son a shot at his dream job, says the Chicago Tribune.

Richard Sherman thought he had the job in the bag. His future employer, a high school in Palatine, Ill., interviewed Sherman twice, offered him a job, sent him congratulatory and welcoming e-mails, had him sign employment papers and provided him with benefits information. Then his prospective employer had second thoughts, apparently because of his fatherís religious, uh, non-religious beliefs. Sherman, 23, told the Chicago Tribune that he was preparing to take a position with High School District 211 in the fall when he met with Robert Grimm, the districtís personnel director, to sign the obligatory paperwork. Grimm started asking questions about Shermanís ìfamous father.î

According to the Tribune, Shermanís father, Rob Sherman, is a civil rights activist and avowed atheist from nearby Buffalo Grove, Ill. For 20 years, he has been a crusader, mostly over church-state issues. The paper reported that the senior Sherman has alienated more than a few people over the years who disagreed with his take on the Constitution and God.

The younger Sherman told the paper that Grimm warned him that some of the parents in the district might give him a hard time at their first meeting. Grimm called Sherman about five days later and told him the school district had some ìserious concernsî and scheduled another meeting. At the meeting, Grimm questioned Sherman about his teaching philosophy, thoughts on the curriculum and opinions about other education topics, including No Child Left Behind, the federal education initiative.

Sherman told the Tribune he gave Grimm stock answers ñ all the while curious about the timing and subject matter of the meeting. Grimm ended the meeting by telling Sherman that his ìphilosophies on teaching didnít mesh well with those of other teachers and division headsî at the school. Grimm went on to tell Sherman that he would not recommend that the education board formally hire him.

Sherman told the Tribune that he has his own religious beliefs and is focused on teaching, not crusading. ìWe canít stand each other when we live together,î Sherman told the Tribune regarding his father, ìbut otherwise we get along well.î

The school districtís actions prompted Sherman to file a complaint in federal court seeking a temporary injunction to stop the school district from hiring anyone else to fill his teaching position until he gets a full hearing on an illegal-discrimination claim.

According to an e-mail Sherman sent to a Tribune reporter: ìMy calling as an educator is to, first and foremost, see to the welfare of my students. They, along with the other residents of District 211, deserve integrity and honesty from their school leadership.î



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