Teachers’ union files suit over media restrictions

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Toledo Blade

BY NOLAN ROSENKRANS

A controversial Toledo Public Schools policy that restricts staff communication with media has landed the district in federal court, accused of violating the First Amendment.

The policy has been in place for several years, yet it was not enforced. That changed when a pair of athletic directors faced reprimand for violating the policy in the last year. One of those cases prompted the Toledo Federation of Teachers, the union that represents TPS teachers, to file a lawsuit in U.S. District Court.

The TFT opposes the policy on news media relations and considers it, in its current form, an unconstitutional prior restraint on speech, union President Kevin Dalton said in a statement.

“While the Federation recognizes the board’s right to maintain the efficient operation of the taxpayer’s business, this policy restricts unnecessarily vast amounts of speech by using vague and open-ended terms,” he wrote.

FULL story at link.



Read more: http://www.toledoblade.com/Education/2014/11/24/Teachers-union-files-suit-over-media-restrictions.html

[Smarmie Doofus]

1. Hard to see who gets hurt here other than people actively engaged in corruption.

>>>>Mr. Murphy said the district weighs employees’ First Amendment rights and the policy. For instance, whistle-blower provisions in the policy prohibit the district from disciplining staff for disclosing illegal activity.
Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/Education/2014/11/24/Teachers-union-files-suit-over-media-restrictions.html#ePc4sawVq9eGlbFk.99>>>>>

Whistleblower statutes are notoriously ineffective. A gimmicky non-solution to serious, systemic problems. In NYC DOE alone there were 207 requests for whistleblower protection and none (that's ZERO) granted over a ten-year period..

Another example, btw, of the indispensability of teacher due process. They ( teachers) are our eyes and ears.


K and R