ALBANY, N.Y. - Feb. 9, 2018 — New York State United Teachers today said it is pleased that the State Education Department and Board of Regents are suing to block the SUNY Charter Schools Committee from implementing illegal regulations that would lower teacher certification standards and allow unqualified educators to practice in some charter schools.
NYSUT President Andy Pallotta said, “We are pleased to see the State Education Department and Regents take a strong stand to protect students and the profession from unqualified teachers. Children in SUNY-authorized charter schools deserve teachers who have met a high standard and gone through a rigorous certification process. The illegal regulations adopted by the SUNY Charter Schools Committee cheapen what it means to be a teacher and hurt those students most in need of highly qualified, properly certified teachers.”
NYSUT and its largest local affiliate, the United Federation of Teachers, filed suit in October 2017, arguing the SUNY Charter Schools Committee exceeded its legal authority and usurped the role of the Legislature by adopting watered-down requirements that would allow students in some SUNY-authorized charters to be taught by less-trained, less-experienced teachers who bypassed the high standards for quality that all other teachers are required to meet.
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.