I am a tenured middle school social studies teacher. I have a
strong sense of civic responsibility, which I think is important for me to
model for my students. When our district’s superintendent made a policy
decision recently that I felt violated the rights of teachers, I wrote a letter
to the editor of our local paper opposing his decision. My public criticism of
the superintendent caused quite a stir in our small community and led to a
disruptive controversy among teachers, administrators, students, and parents.
The result of the whole thing is that I've been fired for my actions. I feel
that I am being punished for exercising my First Amendment right to free
expression. I’m proud that my letter sparked a public debate about this
important issue; I think I should be thanked, not fired. If I sue to get my job
back, am I likely to win?
3 comments:
Aaron Chancy-I think that if she sued she would be likely to win. A similar case is in our book in chapter 9 with Pickering Vs. Board of Education. He sued, go this job back and was awarded 1 million dollars. Under the 1st Amendment Act the teacher had the right to speak out on how she felt about policies that the superintendent put in place. Also, she is a tenured teacher, and as long as she was a good effective teacher then her job is promised. She would win if she sued.
Andrew Cooper- She is most likely to prevail. With organizations set up to defend Teachers rights, she would most definitely have a good case. I agree with her, her rights were not given, and she was ridiculed for them.
Rajon McCall: What you did as a voice was extremely acceptable especially since it did not offend any of the people you were talking about. Your rights were violated because it was not involved inside the school and plus you were doing your best as a role model.
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