“Over the past year, Daniels and Hoins addressed the board several times during the public forum portion of its regular meetings. They advocated for higher teacher salaries and building improvements and against the district’s Parents’ Bill of Rights, according to the lawsuit.

“At a board meeting last August, the teachers spoke about what they said was the board’s lack of transparency, book banning, and ‘the need for the school district to help non-white students feel welcome,’ the lawsuit says.

“They also urged board members to exceed the district’s so-called ‘revenue neutral’ tax rate, which would allow schools to collect more money from higher property valuations.

“After a closed-door session during that meeting, the board removed Daniels and Hoins from a list of approved substitute teachers and barred them from working in the district.

“Arthur Benson, the teachers’ attorney, said their firing was unconstitutional, and that the board — led at the time by a conservative majority — retaliated against the teachers for voicing their opinions.

“T’hey had both been outstanding teachers and in great demand as substitute teachers,’ Benson said…

“Daniels, a retired middle-school science teacher, was named Secondary Teacher of the Year for the Lansing district in 2020. She retired from full-time teaching in June 2021 and began substitute teaching in September 2022…

“Neither teacher ever received negative comments on job evaluations, the lawsuit says…

“Lansing board member Amy Cawvey told Fox News in 2021 that she and other conservative candidates won the election by opposing critical race theory in schools.

“Since then, community support for those policies has waned, and voters installed a more moderate majority in November.”

Read full article at https://www.kmuw.org/2024-01-04/two-kansas-substitutes-spoke-out-at-school-board-meetings-and-got-fired-now-theyre-suing?fbclid=IwAR1vIF2MKGT5CKV8-ma7AFMgQmb9t7Foch32cAVBX4ePg5lTOUXWigPCyRQ

Published on Facebook on Jan. 4th, 2024.