ABSTRACT K-12 PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER FREE SPEECH: THE IMPACT OF GARCETTI v. CEBALLOS ON FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTIONS Erin M. Slater, Ed.D. Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations Northern Illinois University, 2018 Christine Kiracofe, Director With the Supreme Court’s 2006 ruling in Garcetti v. Cebellos, this study examines how Garcetti has impacted K-12 public school teachers’ First Amendment free speech protections. Garcetti added a threshold layer to an established test courts had been guided to use—since 1968—when evaluating whether teachers qualified for First Amendment protection when speaking out. Garcetti has guided courts to first consider whether a public employee was speaking pursuant to their official duties prior to ruling on whether a teacher’s speech was a matter of public concern. The Supreme Court ruled when a public employee is speaking pursuant to their official duties, First Amendment protections would not apply. Garcetti involved a deputy district attorney; however, it is the standard public employee free speech threshold that is also applied to K-12 public school teachers. Since the Garcetti decision, very few public school teachers have realized First Amendment free speech protections. This study examines relevant U.S. District Court and U.S. Circuit Court decisions post- Garcetti to determine the impact Garcetti has had on K-12 public school teachers’ free speech protections. This study reviews relevant case law and related literature regarding public school teacher free speech rulings. Understanding the Garcetti decision is critical if school administrators wish to avoid possible litigation when contemplating discipline against a teacher for their speech. NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY DEKALB, ILLINOIS DECEMBER 2018 K-12 PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER FREE SPEECH: THE IMPACT OF GARCETTI v. CEBALLOS ON FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTIONS BY ERIN M. SLATER ©2018 Erin M. Slater A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF LEADERSHIP, EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY AND FOUNDATIONS Doctoral Director: Christine Kiracofe ACKOWLEDGEMENTS The process of writing this dissertation has been extensive and one that I could not have completed without the support and love of my family. My husband has been my rock and covered parenting duties and everything else in between when I needed to hide in the library many nights and weekends. My children, Madeline, Hannah and Max have all been my study buddies throughout this process. A huge thank you to Dr. Christine Kiracofe, my dissertation director, who has stood by me since the very beginning even when we wondered if I would ever get here. Her encouragement and knowledge of the law was invaluable. I would also like to thank Dr. Jon Crawford. Although Dr. Crawford could not remain on my committee due to a well-deserved retirement, his influence and support is throughout this study. Thank you to Dr. Kelly Summers and Dr. Teresa Wasonga, who both served on my pre-defense committee, and Dr. Rosita Lopez for taking on my final defense. Their feedback helped to guide the chapters of this study. I am so appreciative of Mr. Ryan Dowd for his feedback and the ability to edit footnotes in the blink of an eye. My best NIU friend, Dr. Kristin Humphries, walked this journey with me and I am forever grateful for his help, nonstop encouragement and support. Finally, to Judge Walter Bingham MacDonald, you are my hero. Your love of God, your love of family and your love of the law shaped who I am and got me to this finish line even from Heaven. I miss you every single day and I trust you know I did it. I love you, Dad. DEDICATION To Scott, my husband and best friend—thank you. To Max, Hannah and Madeline—you can do whatever you put your mind to. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................... x LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………. 1 Purpose of the Study……………………………………………………….......... 8 Statement of the Problem…………………………………………………........... 8 Research Questions………………………………………………………………. 9 Delimitations……………………………………………………………….......... 9 Limitations………………………………………………………………………… 9 2. LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………………………………… 10 An Overview of Early Cases Addressing Public School Teacher Speech Rights ……………………………………………….................................. 12 Pickering v. Board of Education (1968)…………………………………...... 12 Connick v. Myers (1983)…………………………………………………..... 17 Garcetti – A New Threshold for Public School Teacher Speech Rights…………. 21 Garcetti v. Ceballos (2006)……………………………………………………….. 22 Post-Garcetti: An Overview of Teacher Speech Rights…………………………. 26 Gilder-Lucas v. Elmore County School Board (2006)…………………….. 26 Pagani v. Board of Education (2006)…………………………………….. 29 v Chapter Page Wilcoxon v. Red Clay Consolidated School District (2006)…………….. 31 Houlihan v. Sussex Technical School District (2006)……………………… 35 Ryan v. Shawnee Mission Unified School District (2006)…………………... 37 2007................................................................................................................. 38 Mayer v. Monroe County Community School Corporation (2007)…………. 38 Lee v. York County School Division (2007)………………………………… 41 Pearson v. Board of Education (2007)……………………………………… 43 Williams v. Dallas Independent School District (2007)…………………….. 45 2008................................................................................................................. 48 Panse v. Eastwood (2008)…………………………………………………… 48 Samuelson v. LaPorte Community School District (2008)………………….. 50 Carone v. Mascolo (2008)…………………………………………………… 54 Bryant v. Gardner (2008)……………………………………………………. 56 2009................................................................................................................. …….. 60 Baar v. Jefferson County Board of Education (2009)……….…………….... 60 Veggian v. Camden Board of Education (2009)…………………………… 62 Dorcely v. Wyandanch Union Free School District( 2009)……………… 64 2010................................................................................................................. 68 Kramer v. New York City Board of Education (2010)……………………… 68 Weintraub v. Board of Education of the City School District of the City of New York (2010)…………………………… ……………………………… 70 vi Chapter Page Reinhardt v. Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education (2010)……… 73 Adams v. New York State Department of Education (2010)…………………. 76 Fox v. Traverse City Area Public Schools Board of Education (2010)……… 79 Evans-Marshall v. Board of Education of the Tipp City Exempted Village School District (2010)……………………………………………… 82 2011................................................................................................................. ……. 86 Johnson v. Poway (2011)……………………………………………………. 86 Condiff v. Hart County School District (2011)……………………………… 90 Nagle v. Marron (2011)…………………………………………………….. 93 Stahura-Uhl v. Iroquois Central School District (2011)……………………. 97 2012................................................................................................................. ……. 100 Kelly v. Huntington Union Free School District (2012)………………......... 100 Massaro v. New York City Department of Education (2012)…………….. 103 Goudeau v. East Baton Rouge Parish School Board (2012)………………... 106 2013................................................................................................................. ……. 109 Duvall v. Putnam City School District (2013) …………………………… 109 Palmer v. Penfield Central School District (2013)………………………… 114 Bielewicz v. Penn-Trafford School District (2013)………………………… 116 Ross v. New York City Department of Education (2013)…………………… 118 Diadenko v. Folino (2013)…………………………………………………… 121 2014................................................................................................................. ……. 124 vii Chapter Page Mpoy v. Rhee (2014)………………………………………………………… 124 Pekowsky v. Yonkers Board of Education (2014)…………………………… 127 McShea v. School Board of Collier County (2014)………………………… 129 2015................................................................................................................. ……. 133 Koehn v. Tobias (2015)…………………………………………………….. 133 Munroe v. Central Bucks School District (2015)…………………………… 138 2016................................................................................................................. ……. 141 Brown v. Board of Education of the City of Chicago (2016)…………….. 141 Coomes v. Edmonds School District No. 15 (2016)………………………… 143 2017................................................................................................................. ……. 148 Sorescu v. Harper (2017)…………………………………………………. 148 Payson v. Board of Education of Mount Pleasant Cottage School USFD (2017)………………………………………………………. 151 3. ANALYSIS………………………………………………………………………. 156 Methodology for Analysis of U.S. District and U.S. Circuit Court Litigation…… 160 Analysis of Judicial Tests and Holdings in U.S. District Court Litigation………. 161 Judicial Application of the Garcetti Prongs in U.S. District Court Cases……….. 163 Analysis of Judicial Tests and Holdings in U.S. Circuit Court Litigation……….. 165 Judicial Application of the Garcetti Prongs in U.S. Circuit Court Cases…….. 165 Analysis of Litigation and Outcome by State ………………………………… 169 Analysis of U.S.