Manatee moves to fire teacher for incompetence

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NOVEMBER 10, 2009

Here's something you don't see every day.

The Manatee school district has taken steps to fire a tenured educator for failing to educate.

The Herald-Tribune reports that Buffalo Creek Middle School math teacher Laurel Davis didn't give enough tests, failed to grade some assignments and regularly turned in late lesson plans. On top of that, nearly half of her students declined in their FCAT performance.

District officials have counseled Davis and offered her more training, to little success. Meanwhile, parents requested to move their kids out of her class.

Most of the time, teachers facing this fate resign quietly. But Davis isn't going down without a fight.

She's requested a formal hearing, with the backing of the Manatee Education Association.

"It should not be easy to terminate a teacher's employment," MEA president Pat Barber told the Herald-Tribune. "The administration should be required to show they have good cause for doing it."

Posted by Times Editor at 10:45:00 am on November 10, 2009 in

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Gradebook features education articles and insights on schools in Florida, focusing on Tampa Bay area schools. What's the latest from the Florida Department of Education? How is the FCAT being used to compare Florida schools? What's going in on in Tampa Bay schools? Get an insider's view from the Times education reporting team.

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