Preferential Polices Stricken from Ferndale Schools Contracts
(Crystal A. Proxmire, March 20, 2014)
At some point in the 1970s, language giving preference to the hiring and promotion of minorities, including non-Christians, made its way into teacher contracts at Ferndale Schools. The wording “Special consideration shall be given to women and/or minority defined as: Native American, Asian American, Latino, African American and those of the non-Christian faith,” was removed this week after Michigan Capitol Confidential, a publication of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, discovered the wording and contacted the district for comment.
The clause was in violation of the Michigan Constitutional Ban on Affirmation Action that was passed in 2006, and other Federal and State-level civil rights laws that bar discrimination. Yet it was never removed from the contract as it continued getting renewed over the years.
“Unfortunately, this clause was first discovered by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy who published an article in Michigan Capitol Confidential that has since been picked up by local and national news organizations. The old language in Section 10.3 of the contract has since been appropriately removed (as advised by our legal counsel and supported by the Ferndale Education Association),” said a statement by Ferndale Schools. “Discovery of this antiquated language and the ensuing media storm is embarrassing to the district, but has afforded us an opportunity to update our contracts to reflect current law and long-time anti-discrimination practices. Ferndale Public Schools takes the issue of discrimination seriously and has acted swiftly to resolve this unfortunate contract language issue.”