History of IDEA
Jeannie Oakes, Founder and Former Director
Youth Voice in School Finance
NEW REPORT: Los Angeles' road to A-G for all
Without Dollars and Sense Powerpoint
Past Educational Opportunity Reports
Stripping teachers of freedom of speech
- 10-29-2010
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Blog by Walt Gardner/Education Week
The latest reminder that freedom of speech for teachers in K-12 is an illusion came from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati on Oct. 21. In Evans-Marshall v. Board of Education of the Tipp City Exempted Village School District, the court ruled that teachers cannot make their own curricular decisions. The case came about when high school English teacher Shelley Evans-Marshall was fired after 500 parents demanded "decency and excellence" in the classroom. Marshall's sin was assigning books that were not on the approved list, including Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. The board denied that her dismissal had anything to do with her book selections. It maintained that Evans-Marshall was terminated because of "problems with communications and teamwork." The court said: "Only the school board has ultimate responsibility for what goes on in the classroom, legitimately giving it a say over what teachers may (or may not) teach in the classroom." (more…)
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