Kids suing vs. tenure in N.Y.
FOUR CITY students ` and two from upstate Rochester will step up as plaintiffs in a new suit to squash the state’s teacher tenure laws.
But legal and education experts say the fight could be an uphill battle.
The Partnershipfor Educational Justice, founded by television journalist-turned-activist Campbell Brown, is spearheading the case to have job protections for teachers declared unconstitutional on the ground that they deprive kids of their right to a sound basic education.
“These families want what all families want,” said Brown. “They feel they have no choice but to ask the courts to step in.”
Two weeks ago, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled that incompetent teachers were nearly impossible to fire and were concentrated in poor and minority neighborhoods — making tenure a violation of students’ civil rights.
The suit from Brown’s group will probably be filed this summer. The identity of one child in the suit, Jada Williams, 15, of Rochester, has beenrevealed.
Experts said the case faces a rockierroad in NewYork.
“I think there is less chance of a victory here than in California,” said David Bloomfield, a professor of education atBrooklyn College.
California teachers are granted tenure after 18 months, compared with three years in New York. City education officials are trying to draw quality teachers in impoverished neighborhoods through bonuses.
Mayor de Blasio said he thinks the suit is bunk. “We’re on the right track and we don’t need a lawsuit,” de Blasio said.
But Devora Allon, a lawyer who is litigating the case, was optimistic. “I think we have a real chance of success,” she said.