Fremont Rejects Volunteer Firefighter Over Homeschool Diploma

Andrew Coates, a 22-year-old Nebraska-certified EMT and volunteer firefighter, was rejected for a paid position with the Fremont Fire Department after officials determined that his homeschool diploma did not meet the city’s education requirement. The original job posting required only a high school diploma or GED, but Fremont’s human resources director said accreditation was implicitly required, and the city later added “graduation from an accredited high school” to the posting. Nebraska legally permits homeschooling through exempt schools that are not state-accredited, creating a dispute over whether the city’s policy unfairly excludes homeschool graduates. Coates, backed by his fire chief and about 30 supporters, appealed to the Civil Service Commission, which declined to intervene in city policy; he is considering further legal options while seeking a paid firefighting job elsewhere.