Educators confident in previous rulings on due process lawsuit

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ST. PAUL, Minn. Nov. 14, 2017 – The justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court said Tuesday they would hear Forslund v. State of Minnesota, a lawsuit challenging teachers’ rights to due process. The Minnesota Court of Appeals and the Ramsey County District court have previously dismissed the lawsuit.

“These lawsuits are part of a nationwide public relations campaign to mislead the public about what due process protections like tenure are all about,” said Denise Specht, president of Education Minnesota. “These laws prevent good teachers from being fired for bad reasons. They protect teachers who speak out about the learning conditions in their schools, or for advocating for their students on the margins. Simply put, they let teachers tell parents what they need to know about their schools.” 

The Minnesota case is one of three similar lawsuits supported by the Partnership for Education Justice and Students for Education Reform, which both receive funding from the conservative, anti-union Walton family. The New Jersey case has been dismissed once, the New York case is before the New York Supreme Court and the Minnesota case has now been dismissed twice.

“Two courts have examined the claims in this lawsuit, weighed the facts and applied the law,” Specht said. “We see no reason the justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court will decide any differently.”

The Forslund lawsuit did not name Education Minnesota as a defendant, but the union filed a friend-of-the-court brief to the appeals court supporting the state, which defended the laws. The Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals joined the union’s brief. Also filing a brief in support of the state were TakeAction Minnesota, ISAIAH and Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha, also known as the Center for Workers United in Justice. 

About Education Minnesota
Education Minnesota is the voice for professional educators and students. Education Minnesota’s members include teachers and education support professionals in Minnesota’s public school districts, faculty members at Minnesota’s community and technical colleges and University of Minnesota campuses in Duluth and Crookston, retired educators and student teachers. Education Minnesota is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and AFL-CIO.