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Essay On Reinstatement

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In addition to dismissal for causes related to teacher performance and fitness, legislation generally permits the release of teachers for reasons related to declining enrollment, financial exigency, and school district consolidation. Whereas most state statutes provide for such terminations, some states have adopted legislation that specifies the basis for selection of released teachers, procedures to be followed, and provisions for reinstatement. These terminations, characterized as reductions-in-force (RIF), also may be governed by board policies and negotiated collective bargaining agreements.
Unlike other termination cases, the employee challenging a RIF decision shoulders the burden of proof. There is a presumption that the board has …show more content…

To illustrate, a tenured teacher challenged her dismissal that was part of a RIF plan arguing that she had a right to be recalled before the untenured teachers who were also part of the RIF. She also claimed that she had a right to be recalled before a new teacher was hired to fill her former position. An Illinois appellate court upheld the tenured teacher’s dismissal reasoning that her recent unsatisfactory performance rating was a legitimate reason for the district to choose not to recall her (despite her tenured status).
Both the Montana and Nebraska high courts concluded that school boards have broad discretion in deciding what factors to use in their RIF policies and how to weigh those factors. Guidelines or criteria established by state or local education agencies, however, must be applied in a uniform and nondiscriminatory manner. For example, in a New Mexico case, the school board was required to determine that no alternative positions exist for teachers targeted for release.
The Fourteenth Amendment requires procedural protections in dismissals for cause, but courts have not clearly defined the due process requirements for RIFs. The Eighth Circuit noted that tenured teachers possess a property interest in continued employment and thereby must be provided notice and an opportunity to be heard. Specific procedural protections for employees vary

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