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UTLA Rails Against “Teacher Jails”

Samantha Oltman | January 10, 2013



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United Teachers Los Angeles announced in the latest edition of its weekly newsletter that it plans to push back harder against LAUSD’s so-called “teacher jails,” where teachers accused of misconduct are sent to wait while the district investigates their cases.

As LA School Report contributor Hillel Aron wrote in a recent LA Weekly report, teachers sent to “jail” are usually left to sit idle in cubicles while allegations against them are being processed. Teachers receive full pay while their cases are being investigated. Few are cleared to return to the classroom.

In its newsletter, UTLA characterizes LAUSD’s rubber rooms as a “destructive overreaction” and said it plans to demand improvements to the conditions of teachers housed in the satellite facilities, also sometimes called “rubber rooms.”  The teachers union also says it is considering pursuing an age discrimination lawsuit against LAUSD because “many teachers on housed situations are in the older age range.”

Previous posts: “Rubber Room” Teachers Rarely Return, Report: Teacher Dismissals Costly, Lengthy; LAUSD’s Crowded “Rubber Rooms”

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