Dear Editor,
I am writing in opposition to the Day of Silence teacher protest
issue. While I strongly support all citizens’ constitutional right
to protest, it is inappropriate for teachers and other governmental
employees to engage in this type of activity at work.
Dear Editor,
I am writing in opposition to the Day of Silence teacher protest issue. While I strongly support all citizens’ constitutional right to protest, it is inappropriate for teachers and other governmental employees to engage in this type of activity at work.
The taxpayer citizens of Gilroy provide the funding that pays the teachers’ salaries. It is my expectation that teachers spend 100 percent of their time preparing for and delivering education to their students. I also expect them to deliver the instruction in a non-biased fashion.
I am an employee of the City of San Jose and as such am prohibited from engaging in any type of political activity in the work place and/or while on city time.
The opportunity for conflicts of interest or even the appearance of a conflict makes this policy totally appropriate and reasonable. Again, I support all school district employees’ First Amendment rights of free speech, they just need to do it on their own time and not use their influence with their students to further a personal political or social agenda.
From a legal perspective I have just read a recently decided and upheld court case involving a teacher that was terminated for conducting and organizing political activity on school time and using her influence and power over her students to get them to participate as well.
Tom Bohn, Gilroy
