Attorney General Laxalt Defends Education Reform Law


September 17, 2015

Carson City, NV – Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt weighed in on an education lawsuit pending in Nevada federal district court. The suit, brought by 15 former public school teachers who were dismissed by the Clark County School District, alleges that a 2011 education reform law violates the U.S. Constitution.

    Before 2011, Nevada K-12 teachers generally received special job protection status after their first year of service as a “probationary” teacher. Even teachers who received “unsatisfactory” or “ineffective” performance reviews year after year were very difficult to dismiss. To address this, the Nevada Legislature in 2011 enacted bipartisan reform to return teachers who receive unsatisfactory performance reviews for two years in a row back to “probationary” status. This in turn makes it easier for schools to replace those teachers if they continue to perform inadequately.

      “Our children’s education should not suffer because teachers that perform unsatisfactorily for years on end cannot be replaced,” said Laxalt. “This measured reform is a result of advocacy, research and testimony from numerous Nevada stakeholders, including parents, education professionals, concerned citizens, businesses and teachers’ unions. In the interest of better serving Nevada’s K-12 students and parents, the Legislature conditioned the privilege of teaching our public school children on satisfactory performance. I will proudly defend common-sense educational reforms in court and as a matter of policy.”

        In their lawsuit filed in July 2015, the dismissed teachers argue that their job security was protected by the U.S. Constitution. The teachers are joined in their suit by the Clark County Education Association, a teachers’ union. To view the Attorney General’s defense of Nevada’s education reform law, click here.

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