Teachers Sound Alarm over 'Anti-Public Education' Ruling

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2014/06/11-3



'This lawsuit has nothing to do with what’s best for kids,' said CTA President Dean Vogel, 'but was manufactured by a Silicon Valley millionaire and a corporate PR firm to undermine the teaching profession and push their agenda on our schools.'

Teachers Sound Alarm over 'Anti-Public Education' Ruling
- Sarah Lazare, staff writer
Published on Wednesday, June 11, 2014 by Common Dreams

In a ruling with broad implications for public education across the United States, a California court on Tuesday struck down key workplace protections for the state's public school teachers by siding with student plaintiffs—backed by powerful political forces— who claimed such policies negatively impacted the quality of their learning.

Issued by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf M. Treu, the decision sparked outrage from teachers unions and public education advocates across the country.

"Like the lawsuit itself, today’s ruling is deeply flawed," said Dean Vogel, president of the California Teacher's Association, in a statement about the decision. "This lawsuit has nothing to do with what’s best for kids, but was manufactured by a Silicon Valley millionaire and a corporate PR firm to undermine the teaching profession and push their agenda on our schools.”

Speaking with Common Dreams, communications director for the Chicago Teachers Union Stephanie Gadlin called the ruling "ludicrous" and "hypocritical."