California Teacher Fired for Not Signing Loyalty Oath

Wendy Gonaver lost her teaching job at Cal State Fullerton one day before class was scheduled to begin, because she refused to sign a loyalty oath swearing to "defend" the U.S. and California constitutions "against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

As a Quaker from Pennsylvania and a lifelong pacifist, Gonaver objected to the California oath as an infringement of her rights of free speech and religious freedom. She offered to sign the pledge if she could attach a brief statement expressing her views, a practice allowed by other state institutions. But Cal State Fullerton rejected her statement and insisted that she sign the oath if she wanted the job.

"I wanted it on record that I am a pacifist," said Gonaver, 38. "I was really upset. I didn't expect to be fired. I was so shocked that I had to do this."

California State University officials say they were simply following the law and did not discriminate against Gonaver because all employees are required to sign the oath. Clara Potes-Fellow, a Cal State spokeswoman, said the university does not permit employees to submit personal statements with the oath.

"The position of the university is that her entire added material was against the law," Potes-Fellow said.

In February, another Cal State instructor, Quaker math teacher Marianne Kearney-Brown, was fired because she inserted the word "nonviolently" when she signed the oath. She was quickly rehired after her case attracted media attention.

It is hard to know how many would-be workers decline to sign the pledge over religious or political issues. Some object because they interpret the pledge as a commitment to take up arms. Others have trouble swearing an oath to something other than their God.

Here's an interesting story at the Los Angeles Times by Richard C. Paddock: Link

(Photo: Mark Boster / LA Times)


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the whole oatyhthing is a HUAC left over.

All the yanks were keen as mustard to salute the flag and goose step into a brighter westinghouse tomorrow that they sold out their much vaunted founding fathers ideals.

If someone was a commie hell bent on bringing down the USA I doubt that an oath not worth the paper it was written on would prove a stumbling block.

Similarly obtaining a written guarentee from the 911 bombers that they cross their hearts and hope to die ,swear to god they'll not go flying planes at buildings, would have averted that horrror.

This is not a loyalty oath, it's designed to see who'll bend the knee, and how fast.

some of the people who post on here would break their knee caps they'd bend them so fast.

I've always admireed the power and idealism that is enshrined in your constitution and bill of rights, and almost as consistently been sickened by the serf caste epsiloms of the US who equate dissent with treason.

Your country is based on treason.

Against the King.

And good on you for kicking that parasite out of your nation.
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Why the heck should anyone have to sign an oath to be a teacher? An oath to teach students to the best of her ability, maybe I can see that.

An oath to defend anything is a little beyond the purview of a teacher. Her job is to TEACH, period.
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Oh, geez, if you want the job just play along and sign the stupid form. Like the State of California is going to make this precious little cupcake armwrestle Osama.
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