Teachers in Broward County believe that just because they are teachers they don't deserve to have their constitutional rights to free speech and petition stripped from them. Go figure!

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Union Sues School Board Over Blocked E-mails

Feb 18, 2010 7:35 pm US/Eastern

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ― The Broward Teachers union filed a lawsuit against the Broward County School District for allegedly violating teachers' freedom of speech. Union spokesman John Ristow said teachers were using a website called "Get Active" to email school board members about their raises, health care and layoffs.

But the union said the district intercepted thousands of those email and put them into a folder so that the board members never received them.

"We believe it's a violation of their freedom of speech," said Ristow. "As well as their constitutional right to petition their school board member."

This is the latest in a battle that is heating up between the two sides. The lawsuit was filed just hours after Superintendent Jim Notter held a news conference Wednesday lecturing the union for putting a half page ad in local newspapers.

The advertisement said Notter redirected millions of dollars originally earmarked for Special Education students. The bottom of the ad featured photographs of children with upset looks on their faces.

"I struggled to even look at the paid ad with children exploited in that manner," said Notter.

The union later thanked Notter for bringing even more attention to their ad.

Miami-Dade had a similar issue of alleged censorship of teachers. In Dade, the district disciplined teachers for sending email to county officials, but the issue never escalated to a lawsuit.

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