Aster v. Board of Education

72 Misc. 2d 953, 339 N.Y.S.2d 903, 1972 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1217
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 29, 1972
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 72 Misc. 2d 953 (Aster v. Board of Education) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Aster v. Board of Education, 72 Misc. 2d 953, 339 N.Y.S.2d 903, 1972 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1217 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1972).

Opinion

Habold J. McLaughlin, J.

In this article 78 proceeding, petitioner, a probationary teacher of fine arts at Lafayette High School, Brooklyn, seeks judgment expunging the unsatisfactory rating given her and reversing, annulling and setting aside the determination discontinuing her services as a nontenured teacher.

The undisputed facts reveal that petitioner was appointed as a regular teacher of fine arts at Lafayette High School for a probationary term commencing September 9,1970. She taught at Lafayette High School from September 9, 1970 through January 31, 1971 at which time she sought and was granted a one-year leave of absence. Prior to petitioner’s appointment to Lafayette she taught in the New York City school system for four years under a substitute license where she received a satisfactory rating.

On January 29, 1971 petitioner was notified by her principal that her teaching performance for the period from September 9, 1970 through January, 1971 had been evaluated as unsatisfactory and recommended that her license be terminated. On or about February 4, 1971 petitioner appealed the unsatisfactory rating with the Office of Personnel of the Board of Education pursuant to section 105(a) of the by-laws of the Board of Education, but no action was taken on the appeal since petitioner was on leave of absence at that time.

On January 7, 1972 petitioner wrote to her principal advising him that she intended resuming her teaching duties on February 1, 1972.

Thereafter, on January 13, 1972 petitioner’s principal sent petitioner three copies of a report concerning her probationary services wherein she was rated unsatisfacory in 15 out of 24 categories. The principal recommended that petitioner’s probationary services be terminated; the recommendation was approved by the assistant superintendent in charge.

On January 26, 1972 petitioner was notified to appear at a hearing relative to the discontinuance of her probationary service. Petitioner appeared at the hearing along with the aid and assistance of a United Federation of Teachers advisor.

On or about February 22, 1972 the Chancellor’s committee unanimously recommended Discontinuance of Probationary Service”, which recommendation was subsequently approved by said Chancellor of the Board of Education of the City of New York.

[955]*955.Petitioner brings this proceeding challenging her dismissal on the ground that the proceedings nnder which petitioner was dismissed were legally insufficient and in violation of her due process rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.

Petitioner contends that the failure of the by-laws here in question (§ 105 [a]) to provide for cross-examination of adverse witnesses and representation by counsel deprived her of her constitutional rights. Petitioner cites the recent case of Board of Regents v. Roth (408 U. S. 564), in support of her position.

Up to this time it has been generally held that a teacher has no vested rights during a probationary period and the services of a probationary teacher may be discontinued without a hearing and without giving reasons therefor. (See Matter of Butler v. Allen, 29 A D 2d 799; Matter of Pinto v. Wynstra, 22 A D 2d 914; Matter of McMaster v. Owens, 275 App. Div. 506; and Matter of High v. Board of Educ. of Union Free School Dist. No. 7, North Hempstead, 169 Misc. 98, affd. 256 App. Div. 1074, affd. 281 N. Y. 815.)

As recently as May of this year, the Appellate Division of this Department in Matter of Clamsen v. Board of Educ. of City of N. Y. (39 A D 2d 708) held “ the hearing afforded petitioner which resulted in the discontinuance of her services was adequate to protect her rights. Neither statute nor due process requires a plenary hearing or representation by counsel in such a matter ”.

The relevant statutes involved also suggest that a probationary teacher is not protected by due process rights.

Thus, former subdivision 1 of .section 2573 of the Education Law read in part as follows: “ Teachers * * shall be appointed by the board of education, upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools, for a probationary period of not less than one year and not to exceed three years * * * The service of a person appointed to any of such position may be discontinued at any time during such probationary period, on the recommendation of the superintendent of schools, by a majority vote of the board of education.”

Section 100(7) of the by-laws of the Board of Education' provides: “The service of a person appointed for a probationary period * * * may be discontinued by the Board of Education at any time within such probationary period on .the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools.”

Section 105(a) of such by-laws gives the probationary teacher the right to a notice of the time and place of hearing and the matter to be considered. It also provides the right to be [956]*956accompanied and advised by an employee oFthe Board of Education, to be confronted by witnesses, to call witnesses and to introduce any relevant evidence, but stops short of granting such petitioner the right of cross-examination and representation by counsel.

However, in June of this year and subsequent to the holding in the Clausen case (supra), the Supreme Court of the United States came down with its ruling in the Board of Regents v. Roth, case (supra) which appears to refine the rights of non-tenure teachers not heretofore recognized and brings into sharp focus the necessary ingredients of due process rights, as spelled out in Goldberg v. Kelly (397 U. S. 254).

In the Roth, case, the Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of a teacher without the necessity of a hearing or other emoluments of due process procedures. The court found that the petitioner was not deprived of liberty or the loss of her property right as those rights are understood. However, during the course of its opinion the court made some relevant and interesting observations concerning the rights of probationary teachers." The court stated the general principle as follows (p. 569): “ The requirements of procedural due process apply only to the deprivation of interests encompassed by the Fourteenth Amendment’s protection of liberty and property. When protected interests are implicated, the right to some kind of prior hearing is paramount. But the range of interests protected by procedural due process is not infinite.” The court then went on to state (p. 571) that it “has fully and finally rejected the wooden distinction between ‘ rights ’ and ‘ privileges ’ that once seemed to govern the application of procedural due process rights.”

The court declared that the terms ‘ ‘ liberty ’ ’ and ‘ ‘ property ” in the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment are not to be narrowly construed but must be given a broad interpretation. Thus, the court held (p.

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Bluebook (online)
72 Misc. 2d 953, 339 N.Y.S.2d 903, 1972 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1217, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/aster-v-board-of-education-nysupct-1972.