If we lived in sane times in a world where justice prevails, this would be the time of year where we would recount how the biggest Catholic bashers of the last year got their just deserts. One might expect that someone who had the responsibility of hiring new employees and openly bragged about not hiring Catholics would feature prominently in such a report. That is what Jeremy Boland, the assistant principal at Cos Cob elementary school in Greenwich, Connecticut, did; however, it seems he has received only the slightest of punishments for his infractions.
For those who do not remember, the saga of Jeremy Boland started at the beginning of this school year, when Project Veritas released a video of the disgraced assistant principal openly admitting his anti-Catholic bigotry. While discussing his preference of hiring "progressive" teachers because they are "more savvy about delivering the Democratic message without ever having to mention their politics," he was asked about hiring teachers who are religious.
Boland: "I'm not a huge expert on religion, but Protestants in this area [of Connecticut] are probably the most liberal. But if they're Catholic—conservative."
Veritas Journalist: "Oh, so then what do you do with the Catholics? If you find someone is Catholic, then what?"
Boland: "You don't hire them."
Veritas Journalist: "So, would you never hire a Catholic then?"
Boland: "No, I don't want to...Because if someone is raised hardcore Catholic, it's like they're brainwashed. You can never change their mindset."
Obviously, this kind of religious discrimination is illegal, and one would hope that this sort of anti-Catholic thinking would have been relegated to the dustbin of history long ago. Alas, it seems to be alive and well.
At the time, we asked Catholic League members to inundate Dr. Toni Jones, Superintendent of Greenwich Schools, with demands for justice, and, as always, our members answered the call. They firmly expressed their outrage about Boland's blatant bigotry, and subsequent to our news release, Jones announced that Boland was placed on administrative leave, pending the completion of an investigation.
While we were optimistic at the time, we certainly were not holding our breath. After all, the gears of justice grind particularly slow in a bloated bureaucracy, and a complete and thorough investigation takes time. However, it seems the length of this investigation is interminable.
Since the start of the school year, there have been no media reports on Boland's fate. We have seen people quietly let go in the past to allow the organization to avoid further scandal so we have diligently monitored this hoping to give our members the good news that justice has finally prevailed. However, on Cos Cob elementary school's webpage, it still lists Boland as the assistant principal. He has not been quietly dismissed, but rather the investigation appears to remain in a state of suspended animation.
That Boland has not been terminated tells us a great deal. If he had said he would not hire members of virtually any other group, he would have been shown the door long ago. But it would appear that anti-Catholicism is the last publicly acceptable form of bigotry.
They have had four months to decide this case. It is past time officials in the Greenwich Public Schools and the state of Connecticut do the right thing and fire Boland. Justice would demand nothing less.
Contact: Charlene.russell-tucker@ct.gov
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