Texas teachers union sues to keep teacher background checks private
According to an Associated Press report in the Houston Chronicle, the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) has filed the lawsuit against the Austin school board and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott to prevent the release to the media of personal information gleaned from teacher background checks. When the Austin American-Statesman requested the information, the school district tried to withhold it, citing exemptions in the Texas public information laws. However, the Attorney General’s office ruled that part of the information was not exempt from the public information laws. “While we had certainly hoped that the district and the attorney general's office would have respected the privacy of individual citizens, we're now forced to file suit to protect the fundamental rights of AISD employees," said Doug Rogers, ATPE’s executive director. Austin was the first district to enforce a new law requiring all certified teachers and substitutes to be fingerprinted by Sept. 1, 2011. Other employees, such as janitors, will be required to complete the process when they're hired.
Source: Houston Chronicle, 6/23/08, By Associated Press
[Editor’s Note: ATPE provides more information on its lawsuit below.]
ATPE fingerprint resource center