However, I don't see this as a 1st Amendment issue. Suppose, for example, a Ford engineer constantly posted Facebook comments about how terrible Ford products were. I think Ford would have some right to tell that engineer to shut up if he wanted to continue to work for Ford.
Now if Ford also harassed the engineer for no good reason, and that was against written company policy, that would be employer misconduct and grounds for action against Ford.
Ford is a private company..... this teacher works for the public taxpayer, you don’t see the difference?
I see it a little differently.
Common Core is something that is being forced on most school systems. Much like seat belts. I would compare it more to a Ford employee criticizing the mandatory seat belts in all cars and the laws pertaining to them.
I know of some teachers that, in accepting employment, they are not allowed to have social media accounts.
a child is not a car....
“Suppose, for example, a Ford engineer constantly posted Facebook comments about how terrible Ford products were.”
If the Ford products were dangerous, would that make a difference?
“Suppose, for example, a Ford engineer constantly posted Facebook comments about how terrible Ford products were. I think Ford would have some right to tell that engineer to shut up if he wanted to continue to work for Ford.”
However, in this instance, the teacher was addressing the Common Core model, not the school for which she works, it seems. To make this comparison to Ford is a false equivalence. Your Ford engineer model would be more apt if you posited posting about how terrible are automobiles, which would likely not be actionable by Ford; no more so than this instance should be actionable by the school administration.
On the reading, it appears this teacher is being treated quite unfairly.
It isn’t similar at all. Ford is a private company, and can go out of business via management making stupid decisions and actions. The school district is a public entity and cannot, and has to be much more constrained on free speech and other issues than a private company.
There is indeed a First Amendment issue here.
Correct, but Ford is a private company that does not involve elected officials, tax payer financing, etc. She was not being critical of her employer, but of a federal/state imposed taxpayer funded ideology.
if a Ford engineer constantly posted Facebook comments about how terrible Ford products —
How about if the engineer comments about how the Govt regs are affecting Ford’s car production?
>>I think Ford would have some right to tell
>>that engineer to shut up
Ford isn’t the Government.
“ERRORS CEASING TO BE DANGEROUS WHEN IT IS PERMITTED FREELY TO CONTRADICT THEM”
What does this mean?
Ford is a private-sector corporation!
Conversely, this woman is a teacher at a publicly funded government school.
That's a huge difference. This woman's exercising of free speech is entirely appropriate in this instance, and the powers above her are waaaaaaaaaay off base in singling her out for persecution...