Persuasive Essay On Tenure In Schools

The education system in America is praised for being globally competitive, providing students with what they need to succeed domestically and abroad. If this is true, how come our schools continue to employ poor performing, unmotivated teachers? Why is it almost impossible to fire a teacher who has been accused multiple times of inappropriate or unprofessional behavior towards their students. Why have more than half of school administrators never reported these incidents, even though they are fully aware? One word: Tenure. Tenure is a policy that was first implemented in New Jersey in 1910. Tenure was created to protect teachers from unjust firing, such as a female teacher being fired for cutting her hair or wearing pants. Now, almost every …show more content…
If a teacher is accused of assaulting a student, the most logical action would be to immediately fire the teacher and ensure they are no longer a threat to children. However, with the tenure system in place, it can take several months and mountains of paperwork to attempt to fire a tenured teacher. Even after all that time and energy, the teacher may still be allowed to continue teaching. One example of this absurdity comes from the case of Dina Holder, a teacher at Brentwood Union School District, who was accused of tearing a 5 year old student with Down syndrome from his chair and then proceeding to kicking him as he lay on the ground. She was charged and pleaded no contest to misdemeanor child abuse and was still able to hold her job at a different school until her removal was ordered. This seemly utter neglect for student safety occurs in all districts throughout California and is a direct result of the set procedures and steps schools must follow in order to fire a tenured teacher, which are filled with loopholes and can be easily manipulated in the teacher’s favor. Tanya Krause, the current superintendent of the Scotts Valley Unified School