Minneapolis teachers union agreement protecting minorities from layoffs faces outcry on Twitter: 'Illegal'
Manhattan Institute senior fellow Chris Rufo said the agreement is the 'inevitable endpoint' of equity
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An agreement between the Minneapolis teachers union and Minneapolis public schools to lay off White teachers first, regardless of seniority, was harshly criticized on Twitter as being "illegal" and a "gross violation" of the Constitution.
"This is the inevitable endpoint of ‘equity,’" Manhattan Institute senior fellow Chris Rufo tweeted.
The agreement, which was reached to end a two-week teacher strike last spring, protects teachers who are members of "a population underrepresented among licensed teachers" from being laid off, regardless of performance and seniority.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"If you’re a Minneapolis teacher laid off out of seniority order or merit basis because of your race, call a lawyer – it’s illegal to do this!" Harmeet Dhillon, CEO and founder of the Center for American Liberty and a trial lawyer at Dhillon Law Group in San Francisco, tweeted.
"This violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act & equal protection clause of the Constitution," Jonathan Butcher, an education fellow at the Heritage Foundation, tweeted. "Research finds significant learning loss due to pandemic school closures. School officials should be focused on helping children succeed in school & in life, not be obsessed with a radical political agenda."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Gross violation of the state and US Constitution," Erika Sanzi, the director of outreach for Parents Defending Education, said.
According to the agreement, the purpose of the policies is to solve for "past discrimination" by the district. In a summary of the agreement, the union says the policies will move the district "closer to safe and stable schools."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}BLOG POST ON TEACHERS UNION WEBSITE CLAIMS PARENTS ‘MAKE IT THEIR JOB TO UNDERMINE’ TEACHERS
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The Minneapolis Public School district doubled down on the agreement, telling Fox News Digital, "To remedy the continuing effects of past discrimination, Minneapolis Public Schools and the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) mutually agreed to contract language that aims to support the recruitment and retention of teachers from underrepresented groups as compared to the labor market and to the community served by the school district."