California court hands unions victory; reverses judge who said teacher tenure unconstitutional

LOS ANGELES >> A Califoia appeals court has handed teacher unions a big victory by reversing a judge’s ruling that found tenure deprived students of a good education.

The 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled Thursday that the plaintiffs failed to show that job protection for teachers was unconstitutional.

The three-judge panel says the nine students who sued did not show that state statutes caused some students to receive a worse education than others.

The court says the law may lead to hiring and retaining more ineffective teachers but says it’s ultimately up to administrators to assign teachers.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge had found tenure and four others provisions of the state education code unconstitutional because particularly poor and minority students were deprived of a good education.

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