Skip to Navigation Login | Sign Up Home Share SHARE EMAIL PRINT A A A NEWS Due process lawsuit all wet BY LINDA OCASIO | PUBLISHED JULY 28, 2014 UFT President Michael Mulgrew said that two lawsuits filed in New York to invalidate due process and seniority rights for teachers are really meant to undercut public education and privatize schools. Parents know that attacking teachers is not the answer to the problems of New York’s public schools, Mulgrew said after seven parents led by former TV personality turned corporate education reformer Campbell Brown filed suit in State Supreme Court in Albany on July 28. We expect New York’s courts to reject the fact-challenged and legally questionable assertions in this case. Brown was teary at the press conference in New York City announcing the lawsuit, saying she was “so inspired” by the parents, five of whom have children in New York City schools. Campbell Brown may be tearing up, but her secret hedge-fund supporters will be crying all the way to the bank if she succeeds in her mission to undercut public education and privatize our schools, Mulgrew said. Karen Magee, the president of New York State United Teachers, the UFT’s state affiliate, also noted the not-so-hidden agenda behind the lawsuit. This is a politically motivated attack against every dedicated teacher in New York State, she said. We welcome the opportunity to expose the many lies and misrepresentations about tenure laws and establish, once and for all, the plain truth: Tenure is an absolutely necessary safeguard for teachers, for students and for quality public schools. Tenure, which for public school teachers means due process, is essential to ensuring that teachers can speak freely and strongly on policies and budget cuts that harm students, Magee said. Brown, a former CNN news anchor whose two children attend private school, recently started a group, the Partnership for Educational Justice, that is linked to other groups seeking to undermine public education. One of her board members is a paid organizer for StudentsFirstNY, the state affiliate of the national organization founded by Michelle Rhee. Another paid organizer for StudentsFirstNY is among the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, according to the Daily News. Brown’s husband, Dan Senor, an investment banker and former adviser to 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, also sits on the board of StudentsFirstNY. StudentsFirst promotes charter schools and vouchers while relentlessly attacking unions. Other board members of the New York affiliate include former New York City public schools Chancellor Joel Klein, Success Academy founder and CEO Eva Moskowitz and hedge-fund billionaire Daniel Loeb, who also chairs the Success Academy board. Brown’s lawsuit is the second challenge to teachers’ due-process rights in New York. Earlier in July, the New York City Parents Union filed suit in the State Supreme Court on Staten Island. Both suits were inspired by the Vergara decision in California, in which a state judge struck down tenure and seniority rights. That case is expected to be appealed. Read more: News Related topics: tenure, rights Who We Are Where We Stand Our Rights Our Benefits Our Chapters Get Involved Teaching News UFT.org Home > News > News Archive > Due process lawsuit all wet News Latest News NY Teacher Newspaper NY Teacher Archive UFT Blog Op-Eds & Letters to the Editor Videos Photo Galleries School Visits Press Releases Publications Calendar UFT.org Home Resources for: Chapter LeadersNew TeachersParents & Students Which classic television show most accurately portrays the high school experience? Fame Buffy the Vampire Slayer The Wire (Season 4) Freaks and Geeks My So-Called Life Related Content What happened to “No bias, no bull”? The new face of CNN’s Campbell Brown Mulgrew warns of tenure ruling ramifications California tenure law found unconstitutional Much was accomplished in 2013-14 Injury in the Line of Duty Advertise in the New York Teacher. Learn more >> Aug 4, 2014 How to Prepare Children for Pre-K: A workshop for providers (Queens) Aug 29, 2014 Fall Artist/Teacher Non-Juried Exhibition Deadline Sep 3, 2014 Informational Meeting on Appealing an Ineffective Rating Sep 6, 2014 Labor Day Parade Sep 9, 2014 Asian American Heritage Meeting View Action Calendar >> Forms Health Benefits Pension Salary UFT Safety Incident Report UFT Courses/Workshops Advertise Frequently Asked Questions Join the UFT Our Campaigns Our Committees Facebook Twitter BrooklynQueensBronxStaten IslandManhattan Copyright © 1999 – 2014 United Federation of Teachers Contact Us | Press Releases | Privacy Policy
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 12:50:46 +0000
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