A Bad Apple: Supreme Court of Georgia Delivers Loss to Educators Holding It Is Constitutional for Tenured Georgia Educators to Lose Tenure when Public Schools Convert to Charter Schools

Authors

Brantley B. Swindell

Publication Date

6-1-2025

Document Type

Casenote

Abstract

The Supreme Court of Georgia dealt a major blow to educators in existing charter school systems with tenure rights earned under the Fair Dismissal Act (FDA) after 1993. The court’s decision in Woods v. Barnes meant a big win for existing charter school systems and public school systems that intend to convert to charter systems. In Woods, a public school teacher and the Georgia Association of Educators (GAE) sought enforcement of tenure rights afforded by the Fair Dismissal Act in a charter school system that was previously a public school system. These rights included notice of the reasons for termination and the opportunity for a hearing to challenge those reasons.

Recommended Citation

Swindell, Brantley B. (2025) "A Bad Apple: Supreme Court of Georgia Delivers Loss to Educators Holding It Is Constitutional for Tenured Georgia Educators to Lose Tenure when Public Schools Convert to Charter Schools," Mercer Law Review: Vol. 76: No. 5, Article 6.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.mercer.edu/jour_mlr/vol76/iss5/6