A federal appeals court has ruled against a Washington teacher who claims her rights were violated after she was demoted for posting a blog centered around school matters. According to the teacher, the demotion was against her First Amendment rights; however, the court found the school district’s interests outweighed that of the teacher’s First Amendment rights.
The blog included comments about the teacher’s employers, union representative and coworkers. The teacher sued the district’s director of human resources claiming the demotion caused her financial loss, disrupted her career path and inflicted emotional distress, according to the Student Press Law Center.
Several teachers had reported the blog, which was posted anonymously, to the district. The teacher claimed the events described in her blog were only mentioned after becoming public knowledge. Several coworkers, however, refused to work with the plaintiff after becoming aware of the postings.
For additional information, click here.
