TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Kansas law that stripped public school teachers of guaranteed tenure doesnt violate the state or federal constitution because legislators had the power to modify or end the policy, the state Supreme Court declared Friday.
The court ruled against two veteran teachers who sued their rural school district after it did not renew their contracts in May 2015. They argued that the Republican-controlled Legislature deprived them of a property right through an expedited process for passing the law in 2014 that violated their right to due legal process.
Teachers with more than three years in the classroom previously had the right to be informed in writing why their contracts were not being renewed and to have such decisions reviewed by an independent hearing officer. Local school boards now set their own policies, and education groups have said a third or less of the states 286 school districts have some protections for teachers.
