Connecticut's Catholic dioceses rebuked a public elementary school assistant principal who admitted to discriminating against Catholics in the hiring process in a video captured on hidden camera, Catholic News Agency reports.
Christopher Healy, executive director of the Connecticut Catholic Conference, called the alleged discriminatory hiring practices at Cos Cob Elementary School "unacceptable" and called for an investigation by the school district and the state department of education.
"The revelations that an official in the Greenwich school district discriminated against people of the Catholic faith who are seeking employment are extremely disturbing and should be treated as a serious breach of the public trust and state laws," Healy said in a video posted online Wednesday.
"The comments regarding Catholics, as well as indoctrination techniques by the Cos Cob Elementary School assistant principal, are vile and they do a profound disservice to the many Catholic teachers in public schools both in Greenwich and across the state," he added.
The comments were made by Cos Cob Elementary School Assistant Principal Jeremy Boland, who was secretly recorded by an unidentified reporter from Project Veritas.
When asked about Catholic applicants in the hiring process, Boland can be seen saying, "You don't hire them."
"So, would you ever hire a Catholic then?" the female journalist, who was sitting with Boland at a restaurant, asked.
Boland answered, "No, I don't want to … because if someone is raised hardcore Catholic, it's like they're brainwashed. You can never change their mindset. So, when you ask them to consider something new, like a new opportunity, or, 'You have to think about this differently,' they're stuck — just rigid."
The video has been viewed more than 210,000 times. Boland was placed on administrative leave, according to wtnh.com.
Tori Jones, the superintendent of the Greenwich Public School System, told Catholic News Agency that an investigation is being conducted, and added that the school doesn't "support any opinions that promote discriminatory hiring practices based on race, religion, gender, or age in any way."
Boland also took umbrage with parents wanting to have a say in their children's education.
"I can't get past the parents anymore," he said in the video.
"So, the parents feel as though it's their responsibility to shape the schools, which then shape the kids, right?" he continued. "So, because I can't get past the parents, do I really have as much of an influence on the kids as I want? I try in my own way … but right now my job is to hire the right teachers."
Speaking on behalf of the Catholic dioceses of Connecticut, Healy said: "It is our hope that this is an isolated incident and not reflective of all the dedicated teachers, administrators, and support staff, who are trying to provide a quality education to our children."
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