The Fremont City Council’s Sept. 29 vote clears the way for volunteer firefighter/EMT Andrew Coates to join Fremont Fire, after his non-accredited homeschool diploma had disqualified him from the paid position

FREMONT, Neb. — The Fremont City Council voted on Sept. 29 to change a policy that rejected a homeschool diploma as insufficient for a paid firefighter job.

The vote reopens the door for Andrew Coates, a homeschooler who was turned away from a paid job with Fremont Fire months ago, WOWT reported.

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The city will now accept diplomas from non-accredited schools, including homeschools. The change applies directly to Coates’ application.

Coates is a volunteer firefighter for Cedar Bluffs Fire and a licensed EMT. Dozens of homeschool families attended the meeting in support of Coates, who was overcome with emotion when the council voted to overturn the policy.

Councilman Paul Von Behren said the earlier decision was never about singling out homeschoolers.

“Unfortunately, this has been turned into a homeschooling issue. It really isn’t that. It started as an accredited, non-accredited, and in this case, the applicant was homeschooled,” Von Behren said. “So, it wasn’t really directed at that. It was just part of the way that it played out.”

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