Andrew Coates wants to spend his career saving lives.
The 22-year-old Nebraskan is already a licensed EMT, a trained volunteer firefighter, and a recent recipient of the “Rookie Firefighter of the Year” award. He has spent years preparing for a career protecting his community.
But when Andrew applied to become a full-time firefighter with the City of Fremont, Nebraska, his application was rejected — not because he lacked experience or training, but because he was homeschooled.
That’s why the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) is now representing Andrew Coates and taking legal action against the city.
On our radio show, Sekulow, Andrew told us that he had hopes to turn his passion for serving others into a full-time career and that making a career out of it is his goal.
That goal was put on hold when Fremont rejected his application after discovering that his high school diploma reflected his homeschool education.
Andrew’s family chose to homeschool him and followed Nebraska’s homeschool requirements. Yet the city treated his homeschool diploma as a reason to prevent him from even pursuing a career as a professional firefighter.
And that is simply wrong.
Sign the petition to Stop Banning Homeschool Graduates.
Andrew Has Already Proven Himself
Andrew isn’t someone who simply decided he might want to become a firefighter someday.
He is already doing the job.
Andrew has served as a volunteer firefighter with the Cedar Bluffs Fire Department. He is a licensed Nebraska EMT and has completed extensive firefighter training.
And his dedication to serving his community has already been recognized. He was recently awarded “Rookie Firefighter of the Year” by his volunteer department.
Yet when he applied for a full-time position with the Fremont Fire Department, city officials rejected his application because of his homeschool diploma.
As we have written previously, this is not a case of someone asking for special treatment.
Andrew is asking for the opportunity to compete for a job he is already trained to do.
The original job requirements did not state that applicants could not be homeschooled or that they had to graduate from a particular school. And the city even changed the language of its requirements only after rejecting Andrew’s application.
That raises serious questions about how the city handled his application — and why his homeschool education was treated as a disqualifying factor.
The ACLJ Is Taking Action
We learned about Andrew’s situation after one of our followers brought the case to our attention on social media.
Once our legal team reviewed what had happened, we knew we needed to get involved.
Andrew is now officially an ACLJ client, and we are prepared to defend him in court.
Our legal team has already sent the City of Fremont a litigation hold letter, putting the city on notice that federal litigation can reasonably be anticipated and requiring the preservation of relevant records and evidence.
One of our attorneys also traveled to Nebraska to attend a Fremont City Council meeting as city officials dealt with the fallout from Andrew’s rejected application.
But this case is about more than one firefighter.
Homeschool Graduates Are Not Second-Class Citizens
Andrew’s experience demonstrates what is at stake for homeschool graduates across the country.
His homeschool education did not prevent him from becoming a licensed EMT.
It did not prevent him from completing firefighter training at a community college.
It did not prevent him from serving as a volunteer firefighter.
And it certainly did not prevent him from earning recognition as a promising young firefighter.
But when he sought to make firefighting his career, his homeschool diploma suddenly became a barrier.
A young man who has trained to save lives, already serves his community, and wants nothing more than the opportunity to become a professional firefighter should not be shut out of that opportunity because his parents chose to homeschool him.
Andrew’s parents followed the law when they homeschooled their son. Andrew then worked hard to build the skills and experience necessary to serve his community.
Now the ACLJ is making sure the City of Fremont understands that homeschool graduates cannot simply be treated as second-class citizens.
We are fighting for Andrew — and for the millions of Americans who were educated at home and deserve the same opportunity to pursue their chosen careers.
Take action with the ACLJ. Sign the petition to Stop Banning Homeschool Graduates.