Is it legal if my mom is the assistant principal at a school I applied to, the superintendent refused to hire me because it is a conflict of interest?
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Is it legal if my mom is the assistant principal at a school I applied to, the superintendent refused to hire me because it is a conflict of interest?
I have all the qualifications to teach, I even have great references. I have been interviewed by a panel of people at the school excluding my mother and they told me I would be excellent for the job but when it went to the superintendent he told them they could not hire me. He is discriminating against me because of who is in my family, not from the work that I have done.
Asked on August 17, 2012 under Employment Labor Law, Texas
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
What you describe is not "discrimination" in a legal sense. The law protects only certain members of groups from employment decisions or harassment based on their inclusion in that group. The main types of illegal discrimination are against people due to their race, religion, age over 40, disability, or race. However, there is no law that protects someone from not being hired because his or her parent (or other family member) already works somewhere, and, in fact, such anti-nepotism policies are very common and universally legal. Thus, it is legal to not hire you because your mother already works at the school in an administrative position.
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