Critics threatened with forced transfers & lawsuits

A Guilford, North Carolina teacher recalls that when Jerry Weast was superintendent there, the school system threatened teachers who criticized his administration and even threatened to sue a local newspaper. But the paper didn't back down and Weast relented.

Discussing Weast on the Teachers.net chatboard, the teacher writes,

"As to the legality of it, we still have free speech in this country, despite what some have done to curtail or end it. And as to slander and libel, those things require falsehood.

"The GCS [Guilford County Schools] threatened a local newspaper with a lawsuit some years back, saying all the news about their terror tactics were false. The newspaper didn't back down, stuck to their story, and the GCS didn't pursue it further. They were merely trying the same tactics on this newspaper than they had on teachers.

"Sadly, it worked with teachers as we had a 'mole' working for the gutless NCAE who was feeding them inside information. Not so with the newspaper.

"And now they say the same stuff is going on in Maryland. Sad."