The tenure and seniority system that has long protected California public school teachers, even ineffective ones, was struck down Tuesday in a court decision that could change hiring and firing policies nationwide. The 16-page decision ends the process of laying off teachers based solely on when they were hired, according to a recent article in the LA Times.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Rolf M. Treu (TCHS '66) said that the laws governing job security were unconstitutional because they harmed predominantly low-income, minority students by allowing incompetent instructors to remain in the classroom.

The protections "impose a real and appreciable impact on students' fundamental right to equality of education," he wrote. "The evidence is compelling. Indeed, it shocks the conscience."

Article continues in the LA Times.

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