Tenure commission orders reinstatement of teacher who was deemed mentally unfit

The Education Action Group with an unbelievable story from Michigan:

 

Members of the Michigan state legislature are soon expected to debate various proposals to reform or dismantle the K-12 teacher tenure system.

     When they do, we hope they pay particularly close attention to the case of Mary Ruth Clark, a longtime teacher and more recently a counselor in the Swartz Creek school district near Flint.

     In 2009 the Michigan Tenure Commission ordered Clark reinstated to a teaching position in the district, based on a technicality.

     The ruling came despite opinions from two mental health professionals that she was not capable of working without mental health treatment. And it came despite her inability to provide a necessary letter of mental health clearance from a qualified professional.

     One psychiatrist deemed her "paranoid enough to be considered a liability and a danger at work," according to court records.

     District officials have not followed the Tenure Commission order, out of fear for the safety of students and other employees. Now the Michigan Education Association has filed suit, trying to force the district to comply.

     Apparently the safety of students and staff is not a concern for the Tenure Commission or the MEA. Their only interest is defending the rights of a troubled individual whose fitness for the classroom is open to debate.

     It's called protecting the worst, and the unions and tenure laws have been doing that for a very long time.

 

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February 10, 2011   Tenure commission orders reinstatement of teacher who was deemed mentally unfit Union suing to enforce the order, despite unresolved mental issues   By Steve Gunn EAG Communications http://www.meaexposed.org/wordpress/?tag=mentally-unfit-teacher