Council passes whistleblower bill

Apr 12, 2007 6:00 PM

The City Council on April 12 passed by a 43-1 vote a bill that protects educators from retaliation if they report wrongdoing that could harm the educational well being of children. The bill now goes to the mayor for his signature. If he vetoes it, the Council would need to override the veto for the bill to become law.After the Council’s vote, UFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement:

“We are gratified that the City Council recognized the importance of passing this bill to protect educators from being harassed, punished or fired for having the courage to speak up when they see conduct that hurts children.

“This is a bill that protects people who believe that students should truly earn their educational achievements. It is an essential check and balance against instances when teachers are threatened by their superiors simply for blowing the whistle on cheating, the failure to provide mandated services for special needs kids or dangerous safety situations.

“This bill goes a long way toward ensuring integrity, transparency and checks and balances in the school system, and we hope the mayor will sign it into law as quickly as possible.”