Published: July 12, 2014
Publication: Daily News
By Ben Chapman
Attorney Arthur Schwartz said he expects to file a motion in Staten Island Supreme Court within two weeks claiming his clients should be named as co-defendants of the city and state’s Education Departments, which were sued two weeks ago by the New York City Parents Union for failing to provide quality education to all kids.
The president of the New York City Parents Union, Mona Davids (pictured with her two kids, Mymoena and Eric) will be facing about 50 parents and education advocates who oppose her organization’s lawsuit against teacher tenure.
About 50 parents and education advocates plan to defend teacher tenure in court alongside the city and state, arguing that job protections ensure quality classrooms.
Labor attorney Arthur Schwartz said he expects to file a motion in Staten Island Supreme Court within two weeks claiming his clients should be named as co-defendants of the city and state’s Education Departments, which were sued two weeks ago by the New York City Parents Union for failing to provide quality education to all kids.
“They believe that the only way to attract qualified graduates to the profession is if they are afforded job security,” Schwartz said of his clients.
The Parents Union suit, which seeks class action status, names 11 city students whose constitutional rights were allegedly violated by bad teachers who couldn’t be fired.
But Schwartz said that teachers with job protections were not the reason for poor student achievement.
ALEX RUD
Attorney Arthur Schwartz said he expects to file a motion in Staten Island Supreme Court within two weeks claiming his clients should be named as co-defendants of the city and state’s Education Departments, which were sued two weeks ago by the New York City Parents Union for failing to provide quality education to all kids.
“This lawsuit in fact diverts attention from lack of (education) funding and excessive class size,” he said. “There’s no evidence that systems of job security harm students.”
The president of the Parents Union, Mona Davids, had no comment on the possibility of new defendants in her suit.
She was inspired by the so-called Vergara decision, in which a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled that ineffective teachers are disproportionately represented in poor neighborhoods.
That ruling in California, which is under appeal, also led journalist-turned-advocate Campbell Brown to announce she will soon file a similar suit in Albany.
GLODA/GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO
The Parents Union suit, which seeks class action status, names 11 city students whose constitutional rights were allegedly violated by bad teachers who couldn’t be fired.
A spokesman for her advocacy group, Partnership for Educational Justice, did not respond to a request for comment.
Schwartz said he expects to intervene in Brown’s lawsuit, as well.
Observers say that both suits in the Empire State face daunting legal hurdles compared to California.
Reform efforts are already underway, including a new teacher evaluation system and new bonuses intended to lure quality educators to impoverished neighborhoods in the city through bonuses.
Lastly, in California teachers are granted tenure in just 18 months, while in New York educators face a three-year probationary period.
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