Love this little hidden gem, but this is unsettling. Georgia College professor sues university, saying they fired him after he complained about student plagiarism | 13wmaz.com
On a public forum, the professor (allegedly posting as a “private citizen” while sharing that he is a professor at the college) stated that nearly half of his students committed plagiarism on assignments. Doesn’t seem like a comment of a “private citizen” to me. Also, maybe the professor should add a class or two on the subject of plagiarism.
Does not look like he posted on “a public forum”. Looks like the professor, when the school didn’t follow what was apparently supposed to be their protocol, reached out for opinions to the Legal Writing institute. Looks like one might have to qualify to register.
“Although most LWI members are actively engaged in legal education, the legal profession, or both, we welcome and encourage others to join….For more information on how to apply for membership, please support@lwionline.org. “
He apparently posted to a closed listserv
“Our listserv, Legal Writing Institute community (LWIC), is a closed listserv. It is intended to provide a forum in which scholars and teachers of legal writing can discuss topics in their field. Professional teachers of legal writing are eligible to join the group. Included within that category are current, former, and aspiring teachers of legal writing in law schools and other academic institutions as well as lawyers who teach legal writing as part of their business or practice. “
The school is claiming he violated FERPA guidelines but there doesn’t seem to be any clear directly identifying information of the school or the student(s) involved. There may have been a bit too much detail in his post, but does it reach the criteria of a violation of FERPA?
Unless he gave information about this student that would have allowed her public identification, it is not a violation of FERPA. Describing a person to a group that doesn’t have any knowledge of the students in his class is not going to allow them to identify a particular student. I don’t think that a FERPA violation would hold up in court. I’m assuming he didn’t actually name her, of course (if he did, he’s in trouble).
Talking smack about your employer can land you in hot water, though. Nothing in the article explains how this professor’s comments became public … I know that anyone can out anyone else, and you should always assume that someone will try to get you in trouble if you say anything about your employer. Someone on that listserv decided to get him in trouble, and if they provided the school administration with evidence that he disagreed with their decision, that would likely make them want to get rid of him. If their own rules prohibited them from firing him for that, I could see them making the stretch of FERPA violation. Again, based on the information provided, I don’t think that would stick in court. But his career as a professor is probably over, regardless. And honestly, it sounds like a terrible place to teach.