California Educator

August 2014

Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/358877

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DID YOU KNOW? Advocacy Gov. Brown signs bill to streamline dismissal process C TA - B A C K E D Assembly Bill 215 by Assembly Member Joan Buchan- an (D-Alamo) was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown June 25. The principal co-authors of the bill included Assembly Member Kristin Olsen and Senators Marty Block, Carol Liu, Lou Correa, Bill Monning and Alex Padilla. Having received unanimous support in both houses, AB 215 updates and streamlines the teacher discipline and dismissal process, saving the state time and money while protecting students and ensuring an educator's right to due process. "For California's educators, keeping children safe in our classrooms is always a top priority. We have long supported streamlining the dismissal process, so we are pleased to see this legislation unani- mously approved by the Legislature and signed by the governor," says CTA President Dean E. Vogel. "Our students deserve a safe learning environment, and deserve to be taught by educators who are commit- ted and qualified." Vogel adds this is how education reform should be done, with input from all education community stakeholders and bipartisan support, unlike the approach used by the wealthy backers of the deceptive Vergara v. State of California lawsuit attacking educators' due process rights. Under existing law, districts can immediately remove from the classroom any educator accused of immoral conduct or a serious crime, and can keep the accused employee away from students until the facts of the case have been determined. Unfortunately, as seen in recent cases, many districts fail to act. For three years, CTA has supported legislation to streamline the dismissal process while protecting students and educators. Legislation was approved last year but vetoed by the governor. AB 215 again prioritizes, updates and streamlines the teacher discipline and dismissal process, saving time and money while protecting students and ensuring an educator's right to due process. The law will go into effect Jan. 1, 2015. The legislative session wraps up Aug. 31. Look for updates at cta.org/legislation. By Claudia Briggs Legislation 33 V O L U M E 1 9 I S S U E 1 33 V O L U M E 1 9 I S S U E 1 You protect your loved ones...

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