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Judge is Right in Teacher Dismissal Case
By rick | July 24, 2008
If you’re a parent of a JCPS student, you can applaud the decision of Judge James Shake today, who refused to force the school system to rehire 18 teachers whose performance records indicate they were unfit for the job.
The teachers, according to a C-J story this morning, were guilty of such transgressions as threatening to bring a gun to school, taking students shopping and having sleepovers. One is under investigation over an accusation that the teacher rewrote student portfolios. One was absent for more than a month, and another used the word “asshole” in referring to a student.
Does the union think teachers aren’t capable of actionable offenses? I can’t figure out why it would go to bat for this group of 18, when the record seems to show pretty clearly that they deserved to be fired. But that’s the point — they weren’t fired. They were working under one-year contracts and JCPS chose not to renew them.
This happens all the time in other industries — including the TV business. And only in academia is the concept of tenure — meaning certain employees are untouchable — a part of human resources guidelines.
The ability to get rid of teachers who don’t measure up is an important part of making sure students get a proper education from high-quality instructors. The teachers association should save its muscle for more important issues.
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