Subject: Send an email, lose your job
From: Robert Luhn <luhn@ncse.com>
Date: 7/6/10, 19:37
To: undisclosed-recipients:;

You may recall that Christine Comer--who was the Director of Science at the Texas Education Agency--was fired in 2007 for forwarding an email which announced a public lecture by NCSE Board member Barbara Forrest. (Forrest was an expert witness in the Kitzmiller v Dover trial and author of a book on the intelligent design movement.) TEA employee Monica Martinez called for Comer's termination, complaining that "Ms. Comer's email implies endorsement of the speaker and implies that TEA endorses the speaker's position on a subject on which the agency must remain neutral."

Comer sued, claiming she was illegally fired. But on Friday, July 2, the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reinstate her latest suit.

Our story: http://ncse.com/news/2010/07/comer-loses-appeal-005612

Steven Schafersman, Texas Citizens for Science, on the suit: http://www.texscience.org/news/comer/comer-lawsuit-dismissed-2009April1.htm

Court filing: http://ncse.com/webfm_send/1390

Video: "Chris Comer, Expelled for Real"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpCdQ2Tbf6s

background:

"Science Supervisor Chris Comer Sues Texas Education Agency"  (2008)
http://ncse.com/news/2008/06/science-supervisor-chris-comer-sues-texas-education-agency-00169

Comer case dismissed (2009)
http://ncse.com/news/2009/04/comer-case-dismissed-004712

Comer appeal heard (2010)
http://ncse.com/news/2010/04/comer-appeal-heard-005475


...also of note: Exclusive chapter excerpt from "Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution". Download it at: http://ncse.com/files/pub/evolution/Excerpt--LifeAscendingb.pdf

rl

-- 
Robert Luhn
Director of Communications
National Center for Science Education, Inc.
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