Teachers Face Speech Limits

Danielle Urban of the Denver office is quoted in the April 18 Sarasota Herald-Tribune article "Teachers Face Speech Limits." The article recounted cases where school teachers were terminated after posting messages on Facebook that school administrators found inappropriate. In one case, a judge ordered the teacher reinstated with back pay, ruling that the school district failed to prove the Facebook postings harmed students or their ability to learn. Danielle pointed out that private companies have more freedom than public agencies to discipline workers for online posts. "A public school teacher has First Amendment rights to express themselves outside of work as long as whatever they are talking about isn't immoral," she said. She advises that teachers and other professionals keep their work and private lives apart. "You have to always be thinking about keeping the private separate from the public. If you can't, you have to think about how this affects your professional image."