Carroll teachers asked to sign non-disparagement agreement in annual contract: report
Teachers in the Carroll school district must now sign non-disparagement agreements when renewing their annual employment contracts, according to an NBC News report Thursday.
Four unidentified teachers told NBC that they are now required to sign the non-disparagement agreements as part of their employment contracts.
Teachers are prohibited from criticizing the school district in the news media, according to a new clause added to their annual employment agreements, NBC News reported.
“You agree to not disparage, criticize, or defame the District, and its employees or officials, to the media,” the clause read according to NBC.
Karen Fitzgerald, a spokeswoman for the district, did not immediately respond to an email from the Star-Telegram seeking comment late Thursday.
Legal concerns
Clay Robison, a spokesperson for the Texas state Teachers Association told NBC that “this is the first time we have heard of a school district putting that language into a teacher contract.”
“It is a rejection of the teacher’s fundamental First Amendment rights.”
Several months ago, teachers attending a training session were told to provide alternative sources if they have books in their classrooms about the Holocaust.
The school district apologized after facing harsh criticism and said the Holocaust was a terrible event in history and that the district recognizes that there are not two sides to the Holocaust.
A teacher recorded the training session that was about the new state law requiring teachers to present different perspectives when talking about widely debated and controversial issues and gave the audio recording to NBC News.
In December, the school board voted 7-0 to update the district’s personal conduct policy to prohibit employees from secretly recording conversations and meetings.
Employees are required to notify all participants in a conversation or meeting that they are going to record the proceedings.
The school district said at the time that the policy mirrors what other school districts require.
This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 8:59 PM.