This report concerns actions taken by the administration of Spalding University to terminate the appointment of tenured professor of social work Erlene Grise-Owens after she criticized the administration's handling of an incident involving a student who brought a gun to a campus parking lot. The social work school's chair immediately alerted…

This report concerns actions taken by the administration of University of Nebraska-Lincoln to suspend lecturer, Courtney Lawton from her teaching responsibilities--initially, for stated safety concerns. Lawton is a sixth-year doctoral student with a part-time appointment as lecturer for the 2017-18 academic year. She received threats after a video…

St. Edward's University is a private, four-year institution affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church that traces its beginnings to 1877, when the Congregation of Holy Cross, an order of French missionaries, founded St. Edward's Academy on farmland south of Austin, Texas. St. Edward's received its charter as a college in 1885 and as a university…

This report concerns actions taken by the administration of the Community College of Aurora, during the fourth week of the fall 2016 semester, to terminate the appointment of part-time instructor of philosophy, Nathanial Bork, without affordance of academic due process. Mr. Bork was dismissed after conveying his intention to send to the college's…

Teacher tenure rights, first established more than a century ago, are under unprecedented attack. Tenure--which was enacted to protect students' education and those who provide it--is under assault from coast to coast, in state legislatures, in state courtrooms, and in the media. In June 2014, in the case of "Vergara v. California," a…

This article combines original interviews, secondary policy analysis, and non-ideal theory to determine the "least unjust" approach to budget-driven "Reduction in Force" teacher firings in Los Angeles. Building from the a priori claim that schools should serve children's interests, this article addresses the following…

Steven Bitterman was fired by his school after he offended his students for telling them that they could easily appreciate the biblical story of Adam and Eve if they considered it a myth. Several adjunct and full-time professors who work off the tenure track have been fired after saying something, as Mr. Bitterman did, that offended students or…

Reviews a recent case that exhibits the mistakes that can be made when teachers, school boards, and administrators fail to understand that teacher tenure is not a guarantee of employment but does guarantee that procedural and statutory protections will apply in any termination process. (PGD)

The peer review system for evaluating schools (the "Toledo Plan") is gaining favor among teachers in other school systems. Schools are generally reluctant to dismiss incompetent teachers because of documentation complexities, but incompetent teachers should nevertheless be weeded out. (TE)

In Canada, a teacher is deemed to have tenure after serving a probationary period which varies from one province or territory to another. This chapter explains Canadian law as it relates to the termination of teacher contracts. The Canadian court structure and the means of challenging termination decisions are explained. Technical, procedural, and…

Tenured teaching staff member in New Jersey cannot be dismissed from their positions unless a board of education establishes just cause in a hearing before the Commissioner of Education. This pamphlet, designed to assist boards in filing dismissal proceedings for unsatisfactory tenured teachers, provides a comprehensive review of all recent tenure…

The actions of Clark College in terminating, for reasons of financial exigency, two faculty members previously granted indefinite tenure are reviewed according to the AAUP statement of principles and recommended institutional regulations on academic freedom and tenure, and procedural standards, and found to be in violation. (MSE)

A central issue in litigation arising from adverse employment decisions affecting school personnel is the adequacy of due process procedures. Due process is required only if a teacher is able to establish a protected property or liberty interest. The first section of this chapter accordingly discusses the circumstances under which due process is…

As popular support grows for improving education, the states are considering many different ways to attract better teachers into teaching and keep good teachers in the schools. Proposed reforms are being widely discussed, in national reports, state legislatures, and many other forums across the nation. Less widely discussed but also important are…

Defines and gives examples of remediation as a process prior to dismissal proceedings, in which a teacher is evaluated by administrators, who identify deficiencies and provide the teacher an opportunity to correct them. Identifies what constitutes remediable conduct, how requirements for remediation are imposed, and how courts review dismissal…