Comments on: No political buttons for teachers, says federal court

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 17:04:43 +0000

And I missed the intent. The abstract of the reg makes clear the intent is related to elections, not causes.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 16:58:34 +0000

Forte’s interpretation does not match the language of the regulation, which quite explicitly discusses support of candidates. The only applicable language:

C.1. “While on duty or in contact with students, all school personnel shall maintain a posture of complete neutrality with respect to all candidates.” Full stop. That point does not continue.

By: Elizabeth Green

Elizabeth Green — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 15:11:36 +0000

Jonathan, the current regulation prohibits support for “any candidate, candidates, slate of candidates, or political organizations/committees.” I asked Ann Forte, a DOE spokeswoman, how broadly school officials interpret “political organizations/committees.” She said the regulation applies not just to candidates but also political issues, such as taking a position on abortion. So a button saying “pro-choice” is prohibited too, under the current regulations.
I did not ask where a “fund our schools” would fall, but since there are political organizations being set up around that effort, it’s a good question.
Forte also told me that the department is now reviewing whether to change its regulations, so they may change.
The regulation in question, for those interested, is here (PDF): http://docs.nycenet.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-86/D-130__1-15-04.pdf.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 02:34:20 +0000

Read it. Candidate buttons only.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 21:25:42 +0000

The old reg deals with support of candidates only. Did the judges ruling extend this causes and positions as well? That’s how Klein’s remark reads, but it’s Klein.

I am thinking about, for example, a peace symbol button. Or, perhaps, one that reads “Fund our schools”

By: Norm

Norm — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 20:25:24 +0000

The UFT policies on groups critical of the UFT/Unity Caucus leadership is more than a bit short on democracy. They oppose the right of groups to communicate with teachers in schools through the use of mail boxes and bulletin boards – unless these groups have a teacher in the school, thus severley limiting small groups of teachers from reaching out. Some Unity chapter leaders go beyond this policy and attack fellow teachers in their schools by accusing them of disloyalty.