A volunteer track coach at a Catholic school in Iowa is accusing officials of retracting their offer of a full-time job after finding out that he is gay.
"What's so shocking is in an institution where they preach tolerance and love and respect for everyone, no matter what your background is, they don't uphold to those teachings," Tyler McCubbin told KCCI-TV.
McCubbin has been a coach and a substitute teacher at Dowling Catholic High School since September 2014. He said that he applied for a full-time position as a social sciences teacher last month, leading to a job offer from school president Jerry Deegan, before a background check revealed that McCubbin is in a same-sex relationship, which he confirmed to school officials.
"I said, 'Yes it's true. I've been engaged for almost a year now,'" he said. "And they said, 'Because of that, we can't offer you the contract.'"
The Des Moines school did not comment on McCubbin's allegation, but a statement attributed to superintendent Luvern Gubbels said that, while applicants may be "alerted verbally of interest," a new hire is not completed until the school provides a written offer of employment.
"Catholic schools are an extension of the church and are committed to following the church's teachings and doctrine in employment matters," the statement read. "Our contracts contain specific language that outline the expected code of conduct in accord with long accepted Church teaching."
Watch KCCI's report on McCubbin's allegations, as aired on Monday, below.
