Community Corner
Petition Gets 23K Signatures To Restore Fired Catholic School Teacher
Michael Califano claims he was terminated last week from the Maria Regina School in Seaford because he is gay.
SEAFORD, NY — A GoFundMe page was created to help the Catholic school teacher who was fired after photos of him and his boyfriend kissing surfaced.
Michael Califano, who is gay, claimed his termination was because he was "not living a Catholic lifestyle" as a third-grade teacher at the Maria Regina School, he told Patch this week.
However, the Diocese of Rockville Centre said in a statement:"For privacy reasons, we do not comment publicly on personnel matters, but we can say that the school did not end Mr. Califano’s employment over his sexuality."
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The GoFundMe page has received more than $5,750 in donations since it launched on last week.
"It's heartening to see that so many people will see that I'm doing a good job," Califano said about a community's outpouring.
Find out what's happening in Wantagh-Seafordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
A Change.org petition has over 23,000 online signatures seeking Califano's reinstatement at Maria Regina.
"I'm not hurting anybody," he said. "If all my parents feel that I should be back in the classroom, then I should be back in the classroom because it's their children that I'm teaching," he said.
While Califano is exploring legal action against the Diocese, "I want to get back in the classroom with my kids."
Click here to watch the "Patch Weekly Spotlight" interview with Califano.
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