Marriage Is Bliss but Not Educational

A 17-year-old newlywed may consider her marriage a match made in heaven, but officials of her Roman Catholic high school who found out about it from a newspaper photo call it grounds for dismissal.

Elizabeth and Xavier Valeri celebrated their vows earlier this week. It was the 1990s’ first Cook County wedding and a photo of them was featured prominently in the Chicago Sun-Times.

When officials of Maria High School saw the newspaper, they told Elizabeth that the marriage violated school policy.

Elizabeth, due to be graduated in May, had to leave the girls’ school at the end of the semester on Friday, said Charles Pinto, who works for the Chicago archdiocese as an administrative consultant for Catholic high schools.

“I feel it’s discriminatory, because I didn’t do anything wrong,” Elizabeth said. “I’m still living at my family’s house, and he’s still living with his family.”

Elizabeth has been accepted at another Catholic school but said she would prefer not to switch.

“This is between the school and the student,” said Sister Grace Ann, the principal of Maria High School. She refused to comment further.

Pinto said the principal met with Elizabeth’s parents before deciding that she would not be allowed to continue at the girls’ school run by the Sisters of St. Casimir, which has about 1,000 students.