LGD filed a Class Action Complaint on behalf of two current and one former teacher at the Julia R. Masterman School in Philadelphia. Tannen v. The School District of Philadelphia, docket at 2:23-cv-03189 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Mary Catherine Roper and Irv Ackelsberg of Langer Grogan & Diver and Seth Kreimer of the University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law serve as counsel for the teachers.
In 2021, Masterman teachers and parents tried to get answers from the Philadelphia School District regarding potential asbestos hazards in their school. When their question went unanswered, teachers worked on the patio while parents and public officials demonstrated in their support outside the school. As a result, the School District marked the teachers as absent and docked their pay for the days they spent working outside.
“Those teachers were not ‘absent.’ The District knew that and knew they were working,” said Mary Catherine Roper, “The District wanted to stop the protest, so they threatened the teachers and then punished them. That violates the First Amendment.”
Photos by Dale Mezzacappa / Chalkbeat