Can't edit recruit record after task expires

When a new record is added in the Recruiting module, a follow-up task is created by default.  Once the date of the follow up task has passed, I can no longer edit the recruit record.  Pressing 'save' gives the error message, "the next contact date should be in the future". I can't work-around this with a new date because the date field can't be filled in from the recruit edit screen.  The only work-around is to first edit or delete the task and then edit the recruit record.