Educator forced to resign for publicly criticizing Black Lives Matter, lawsuit alleges(#2)

thecollegefix.com ^ | 12/14/2020 | David Huber

[rktman]

Lawsuit represents second Pennsylvania educator who recently sued former employers alleging First Amendment retaliation

It appears school district officials Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, have a bit of a problem with public school educators who share conservative views on their personal social media accounts.

The College Fix recently noted the story of Principal Amy Sacks of the Perkiomen Valley School District who was fired for posting conservative memes on her Facebook account. Sacks is suing for First and Fourteenth Amendment violations, as well as for political retaliation.

Now, just a few miles away in the neighboring North Penn School District, a longtime educator there is suing that district for similar reasons.

According to The Reporter, Ashley Bennett, a special education supervisor with 27 years of service, was forced to resign in July due to a Facebook post criticizing Black Lives Matter and various race protests and riots.

[rktman]

Honest questions will NOT be tolerated by the tolerant mostly peaceful cooperative and decent lefties out there. Butt, typical of them. WE are not allowed to be offended. Now I feel oppressed from expressing my true feelings. Butt, we can't say that since we're "privileged". :-)

Merry Christmas Everyone.

[Chengdu54]

She should not have resigned. They could never have fired her. I have some knowledge of PA school law.

[Tax-chick]

“Educator” this, “educator” that. Fire them all.

[I want the USA back]

They don’t execute you in the USA (yet) for opposing the sacred cows of the left. They fire you and blackball you so you can’t get a job.

[bigbob]

We don’t need no thought control

[falcon99]

If this lawsuit was filed in state courts, it will go nowhere. If it ends up in the PA Supreme Court she will lose. That is the most corrupt state Supreme Court in the country as we have seen with the election challenges. In fact, I would even question the results if it got to the US Supreme Court since it too has proven to be a court based on whim not on the Constitution.

[rktman]

We don’t need no “indoctrination”......

[hanamizu]

I will defer to your knowledge of PA school law. Here in MO a teacher with 27 years experience can’t be fired under those circumstances, but if she was a “special education supervisor” that might make her administration and the rules here are different.

But I agree, by resigning, she’s weakened any case she has against the school district. And by filing a lawsuit, she’s pretty much guaranteeing she won’t be hired by another school district. Those 27 years and the pay they command are one strike against her and filing suit is another.

[Chengdu54]

I’m not aware of any state where a teacher can be fired for expressing a reasoned opinion. I think there’s even Supreme Court decisions protecting teachers’ rights in this regard.

[hanamizu]

I’m not aware of any state where a teacher can be fired for expressing a reasoned opinion.

---

In MO a probationary teacher, ie one without tenure, can simply not have his or her contract not renewed—no reason need be given. My wife was let go after two years because a school board’s relative wanted the job. She was given a choice, if she filed for unemployment, the school would not give her a recommendation.

I realize firing and not renewing a contract aren’t the same thing. But here doing anything that embarrasses the district can get you ‘let go’.

[tbw2]

“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize”

[rktman]

Looks like EVERYBODY rules over me now. LOL!