(Washington Stand) The United States Armed Forces allows homeschoolers to enlist, but the city of Fremont, Nebraska appears to think they are unfit to join their local fire department. Now, the governor’s office is investigating.
Andrew Coates, a 22-year-old volunteer firefighter at Fremont Fire Department, hoped to turn his charity work into a full-time job. But his application was denied by the city, who claimed that since his high school diploma is from a homeschooling program, it was not from an accredited high school. When Coates applied in April 2026, there was no rule barring homeschoolers from becoming firefighters. After the closing date of the application, Coates was notified that he had been disqualified — the rules had apparently changed and he was no longer eligible. Last week, Fremont’s Civil Service Commission reviewed an appeal from Coates, before deciding that it didn’t have the authority to overturn the city’s employment policy.