Fired CA professor exonerated in settlement of lawsuit against San Jose college districtALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND NEWS RELEASE Fired Calif. professor exonerated in settlement of lawsuit against San Jose college district Case settles after court affirms teachers’ First Amendment rights in the classroom SAN JOSE, Calif. — Alliance Defense Fund attorneys have reached a settlement with the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District in a lawsuit filed on behalf of a biology professor. Professor June Sheldon was fired after objectively answering a student’s in-class question simply because a different student claimed to be “offended” by her answer, even though it comported with the official class curriculum and a district policy on academic freedom. ADF attorneys agreed to dismiss the suit because the district has agreed to remove Sheldon’s termination from her record and pay her $100,000 for lost work. The district argued that its professors have no free speech rights in the classroom, but a federal court rejected that argument and determined that “a teacher’s instructional speech is protected by the First Amendment.” Sheldon is now teaching at a different college. Case Name: Sheldon v. Dhillon Full news release, quotes, and related media resources available at the following link: http://www.adfmedia.org/News/PRDetail/153 ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.
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