After just posting the story of a tenth-grade student suspended for a posting on Facebook, this story appeared of yet another teacher suspended for her own postings on a blog. Natalie Munroe taught at the Central Bucks East High School near Philadelphia as an English teacher — until students discovered a comment on a February 8th blog.
On the blog, Munroe complained that her students were “rude, lazy, disengaged whiners” and admitted that she dreamed of giving parents an honest appraisal of their children. Some of the alternative “canned comments” were pretty funny and were clearly not meant for the students to read. They included “rat-like,” “dresses like a streetwalker,” “frightfully dim,” and “whiny, simpering grade-grubber with an unrealistically high perception of own ability level.”
Superintendent N. Robert Laws said last week that the blogged complaints were “very egregious” and “certainly could result in termination.” I certainly agree that this matter raised very egregious conduct, but of the school not the teacher. Teachers have free speech and have a right to vent about their profession.
Instead, Munroe was escorted from the school and suspended on the day the blog was revealed to school officials.
Munroe, 30, has both a bachelor’s degree in English literature and a master’s degree in education.
She joined a growing list of teachers punished for conduct or statements made after-hours and in their private lives (here and here and here and here and here and here).
The story below discusses how teachers are now shutting down their blogs and taking other steps to avoid punishments for any statements that they make in their private lives. It is a classic example of a chilling effect on speech and Munroe would do her profession a great service by challenging this abusive action.
Since the high school calls itself “the Patriots,” they might want to start with what the original Patriots fought for and fought against — starting with free speech and censorship.
Source: PhillyBurbs found on Reddit
Jonathan Turley
Certain jobs have certain standards for keeping them. Journalists, lawyers, doctors, nurses, accountants and mental health professionals are all held to certain professional standards where they VOLUNTARILY give up their freedom of speech to have that line of work. NDAs, privacy policies and other agreements all are ways that people give up their freedom of speech all the time.
In most of these cases, you’re not employed by the government so you don’t have freedom of speech anyhow – the first amendment says that Congress shall make no law… not that you can say whatever you want, wherever you want and to whomever you want without recourse. There may be a fine line when it comes to teachers who are usually county employees (if employed by a public school) but if she voluntarily gave up her rights through a professional conduct agreement, she’s got nothing to complain about.
Mespo,
A lot of us would be in trouble!!
Elaine,
I agree with you entirely, except that she has the right to speak her mind outside of her school. My wife is a teacher and she has to deal with kid’s blogs that are very similar to what this teacher wrote. There is even a website that grades the teachers. I don’t like them, but they have the right to say it.
I think it would be a huge stretch to claim that her blog was “on the job speech” as defined in the Garcetti case that you linked to above. If public employees do not have a right to freely speak and write when they are on their own time and off school grounds with their own personal computer, then none of us would be safe.
James in LA,
Regarding blogging not being “conduct unbecoming” for a teacher: It all depends upon what the teacher is blogging about and the language that he/she uses.
Teachers make a lot of decisions about the way they act toward their students, how they treat their students, and how they teach their students that can have a great impact on the lives of those students–in both negative and positive ways.
Ms. Munroe exhibited little respect for her students. How can she command respect from them now?
Wootsy’s still a Cat, blogging is hardly “conduct unbecoming” a teacher. They don’t make life and death decisions. Buy they are treated like crap AND have to put up with nosepick kids not taught to be interested in learning at home. So, let’s make sure it’s even harder for them, and divorce their students further from real life where people, you know, blog.
Now, having said that, any at-will teacher can be fired for any reason, or no reason at all, like the rest of us. You may or may be entitled to unemployment insurance at that point, but that pathway very rarely leads back to being rehired, if ever.
If we were more interested in what people actually have to say, rather than always seeking to condemn either the person, forum or method of speech, problems like this would go away. Regrettably, it seems to be human nature to attempt to discredit that which is perceived to be objectionable. If I can hoist you first, I don’t have to “be offended” by your petard.
No one is born “being offended.” It has to be taught, learned, and then a great deal of time wasted perpetuating what is a choice of a negative state of mind. Always a choice.
rafflaw,
She was able to write it. Now she has to deal with the consequences of her actions. It’s teachers like her who give other teachers a bad name.
I had to take issue with one of my daughter’s high school teachers. My daughter refused to let me speak to the principal while she was still at the school. As soon as she graduated, I met with the principal–as did some other parents who were fed up with the teacher embarrassing and/or insulting their children in class in front of their peers. That teacher was gone a year later.
Maybe Ms. Munroe has constitutional rights. She also has a mighty responsibility as a teacher. The welfare of her students should be of utmost importance to her. She acted in a very unprofessional manner.
I know the frustrations of being a teacher! Couldn’t Munroe have discussed her problems and frustrations with her colleagues in a private way? I’m an inveterate wiseass and as sarcastic as a person can get–but I would NEVER write the kinds of things Ms. Munroe did about my students on a public blog where others could read what I wrote about my students.
If Munroe wants to be considered a professional, she should act like one.
Fired for rude blogging! What will I do now?
“Superintendent N. Robert Laws said last week that the blogged complaints were “very egregious” and “certainly could result in termination.” I certainly agree that this matter raised very egregious conduct, but of the school not the teacher. Teachers have free speech and have a right to vent about their profession.”
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This teacher has traded her credibility for her blog. She may have the right to say these things but the school also has the right to dump her sorry ass for undermining their first responsibility….the teaching of the students.
BTW; isn’t it true that Judges can lose their positions if they engage in conduct unbecoming the proffesion? Is that also true for lawyers? I know it is true for nurses…I’m not even allowed to speak of my patients where I may be overheard without risking a lot more than my job….
Buddha & rafflaw,
Maybe teachers don’t have all the free speech rights that they think they do. I was surprised when I read about the following case a few months ago:
From School Law (An Education Week blog)
Justices Decline Special Education Teacher’s Free-Speech Case
By Mark Walsh on November 29, 2010 6:21 PM
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the appeal of a Michigan special education teacher who claimed she was fired for complaining that the size of her teaching caseload kept her from providing the proper amount of instruction to each of her students.
The Traverse City Area Public Schools in Michigan declined to renew the probationary teaching contract of Susan M. Fox in 2007 because of what the district described as her deficiencies. Fox claimed that the adverse job action resulted from her complaints to supervisors that her caseload of special needs students exceeded what was allowed by law.
The teacher says in court papers that in addition to serving 21 special education students, she was asked to teach an elementary school reading program that brought her total number of students to 34.
Fox sued over her nonrenewal on First Amendment free-speech grounds, but both a federal district court and a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, in Cincinnati, ruled against her in May. The 6th Circuit said Fox’s complaints were covered by the Supreme Court’s 2006 decision in Garcetti v. Ceballos, which held that on-the-job speech by public employees is not protected by the First Amendment.
Fox’s Supreme Court appeal argued that her case presented a good opportunity for the justices to clarify whether Garcetti should apply to the on-the-job speech of lower-level public employees such as her.
“The effect of Garcetti is to put conscientious public employees who observe wrongdoing in a no-win position,” the brief said.
The school district filed a brief saying that the 6th Circuit had made a “straightforward application” of Garcetti and had properly ruled against Fox.
The Supreme Court declined without comment to hear the teacher’s appeal in Fox v. Traverse Area City Public Schools (Case No. 10-229).
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2010/11/justices_decline_special_educa.html
Elaine,
I have to agree with Buddha. She has the right to be an idiot. I would agree that it was poor judgment on her part at best, but she should still be able to write it.
Elaine,
I won’t disagree she exercised bad judgment, however, the right to free speech also includes the right to make a fool of oneself.
Look at Coulter for a fine example of that principle.
I’m going to disagree with most of you. I’m a former teacher. IMO, that teacher showed a terrible lack of judgment. Teachers should set a good example. Teachers are supposed to show respect for their students. I’d say that Natalie Munroe has a pretty poor attitude about the students she teaches. I think it’s one thing to have a blog and talk about your private life…maybe even some of your professional frustrations when you’re a teacher. It’s another thing to be casting aspersions on your students on a public blog. I can’t say I’d want a child of mine to have Natalie Munroe for a teacher.
Buddha,
I had forgotten about the kiddie porn! Wow. Ferris really had the last laugh.
raff,
True. Between the B&E (the character) and kiddie porn charges (which I think the actor has now had more than once IRL), he was probably “otherwise occupied”.
Buddha,
It couldn’t have been Mr.Rooney because I think he was imprisoned after trying to break into Ferris’ house!
Seems to me a certain school superintendent has entirely too much time on their hands.
This is getting so out of hand – if threats of violence were posted by either teacher or student, disciplinary action is essential. But, venting? Talk about a waste of time and money.
I always wondered what happened to Ed Rooney after his run in with Ferris.
Apparently students were too tough for him to pick on, so he switched to teachers.
Another over reaction … it’s time to take a long, hard look at the Principal class
I think this teacher may have a cause of actiona against this school district. The First Amendment does not have an exclusion for teachers or students when they are on their own time. If this kind of firing is upheld, then wouldn’t speech to an individual saying the same things be suspect? This is an absurd reaction by this school.
s/
“very egregious” Mr. Superintendent? Perhaps he could take over Ms. Munroe’s English class now that he has fired her. That would be a very unique solution to Ms. Munroe’s future absence.
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