Running head: TEACHERS RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES 1

Portfolio artifact #2
Teachers rights and responsibilities

Crystal Terwilliger
Nevada school law
College of southern Nevada
Sept 11, 2016

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At a predominantly black high school, Ann Griffin who is a white tenured teacher
decided during a heated argument with an African-American Principal and assistant
principal to state that she “hated all black folks.” When the other colleagues at the school
heard of this statement it caused negative reactions. These colleagues were both black
and white. After all this the principal Mr. Watts recommended for Ann Griffin to be
dismissed because of concur of her ability to treat students fairly and her judgement and
competency as a teacher. I will show you cases where teachers have been fired even
when stating that they had the 1st amendment right to state what they did.

I will show you two cases where the courts supported the claim of the 1st
amendment. The first is the case of Pickering V. board of education. In this case a teacher
names Marvin Pickering who was a high school teacher was fired after writing a letter to
a newspaper with his disproval of the way the superintendent and school board handled
the school funds. After the article was published, Mr. Pickering was fired. He ended up
taking it to the supreme court and they found that the school had violated Mr. Pickering
right to free speech. (Julie Underwood and L. Dean Webb Pg 48&49)

Another case that supports the claim of the first amendment is the case of Rasheed
V. Banning U. Sch. Dist. (http://www.courts.ca.gov/opinions/nonpub/E053727.DOC) In
this case Ms. Rasheed was a 8th grader and while in her history class the teacher who is
also the defendant in this case Robin Hennen made a comment that “she reminded him of
a prostitute chewing gum.” The judge found that the statement was not one of slander
but just a statement. So in this case Robin Hennen was also saved by freedom of speech
because she didn’t come out and call Sophia a prostitute but just made a “reference to the
fact that she sounded like a prostitute chewing gum.”

I will now share cases where the 1st amendment did not stand. In the case of
Natalie Munroe V. Central Bucks Sch. Dis. (http://www.splc.org/article/2015/09/court-
rules-against-teacher-fired-after-blog-posts-bashing-students ) in this case Ms. Munroe

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was a English teacher, who was considered to be a effective and competent teacher. Then
in 2009 she started a blog called “Where are we going and why are we in this
handbasket.” She had started this blog for her friends and family to read. But when
parents and staff started reading the blog they saw some very offensive writings by Ms.
Munroe. In 2011 it started be circulated by students. “In one post that was featured
prominently in the court ruling. Munroe lamented the “canned’ comments available for
teachers to evaluate students on their report cards, adding her own list of negative
comments she wished she could write, such as “Seems smarter than she actually is.”
“lazy a**hole” and “One of the most annoying students I’ve had the displeasure of being
locked in a room with for an extended time. The judge voted against Munroe stating that
The first amendment does not require a school district to continue to employ a teacher
who expresses the kind of hostility and disgust against her students.

The second case is Teresa Buchanan v. F. King Alexaner, Damon Andrew, A.G.
Monaco, and Gaston Reinoso (https://www.thefire.org/complaint-and-exhibits-a-c-in-
buchanan-v-alexander-et-al-2/) In this case the teacher was a college professor. She was
fired for the use of profanity and sexual language when she was preparing her adult
students to be effective teachers In this law suit the university states that Ms. Buchanan
violated its polices and using that type of language was a form of sexual harassment
against her students.

In conclusion I think with the scenario we were given with Ann Griffin and with
the case of Natalie Munroe I think there is no question that these teachers should have
lost their jobs. When you take on being a teacher you are taking on the position of a role
model. You are showing students both young and old how you should conduct yourself.
And whether you think it’s your constitutional right or not you have to have a certain
about of moral standings. When you use the amendments to defend your wrong doing it’s
just that wrong. Especially when it come to the case of Ms. Munroe in this day in age if
you post it on social media it will get out, and for you to be a teacher talking that way is
just sad. If that is how she felt, then she had no business being a teacher in the first place.

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Reference page

 Julie Underwood and L. Dean Webb Pg 48&49

 http://www.courts.ca.gov/opinions/nonpub/E053727.DOC
 http://www.splc.org/article/2015/09/court-rules-against-teacher-fired-
after-blog-posts-bashing-students
 https://www.thefire.org/complaint-and-exhibits-a-c-in-buchanan-v-
alexander-et-al-2/