TRI In The News

Ex-LA Unified Teacher Sues District Over Firing

From The San Francisco Chronicle

Original article available here

A former Los Angeles Unified substitute teacher who was fired after making anti-Semitic comments at a rally has sued the school district.

The Rutherford Institute, a conservative legal nonprofit, said Wednesday that it sued on behalf of Patricia McAllister, claiming the dismissal violated her First Amendment right to free speech.

McAllister was fired last October after she was videotaped at an Occupy LA demonstration saying that "Zionist Jews" were running the Federal Reserve and banks and needed to be removed.

The video received wide circulation over the Internet.

LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy (DAY-see) said at the time that the district would not stand for intolerant and discriminatory behavior by employees even though McAllister was off duty.

The district, which rejected her claim for damages in December, had no immediate comment.