Opinion ID: 2125311
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: curriculum determination

Text: Finding of Fact IX entered by the circuit court specifies: Mr. Dale at the final hearing informed the Board that their wishes would not be followed. The school board is in charge of the curriculumnot the teacher. SDCL 13-8-39; SDCL 13-34-11; SDCL 13-43-7. In a case involving biological sciences, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an Illinois University's right to determine the proper content of a course. Clark v. Holmes, 474 F.2d 928 (7th Cir. 1972), cert. denied, 411 U.S. 972, 93 S.Ct. 2148, 36 L.Ed.2d 695 (1973). A public school teacher is not free to disregard the prescribed curriculum. This includes a question of religious belief. Palmer v. Board of Education of City of Chicago, 603 F.2d 1271 (7th Cir. 1979). This is not just a legal struggle between a teacher and a school board. The best interests of the students and patrons must be considered. Basic biology was the course of study and basic biology was to be taught. Although instructed to have lesson plans, Mr. Dale did not comply. The biology students were allowed to vote on subjects to be covered. After three quarters of instruction had ensued in 1980, Mr. Dale had not covered the basic biology subjects appearing in chapters 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9 through 20 of the text to which the school officials had directed him to teach. Mr. Dale admitted this. In an effort to assist Mr. Dale in meeting a joint obligation to the students and school patrons, the school board attempted with his cooperation to work out guidelines covering basic biology. These guidelines served an important purpose in assuming due process, fair play and notice of defects in teaching skills he needed to remedy. See Ferguson v. Thomas, 430 F.2d 852 (5th Cir. 1970). Mr. Dale refused to improve himself as a teacher, and also refused to follow the guidelines. This was substantiated by the circuit court's Finding of Fact IX. See Fries v. Wessington School District No. 2-4, 307 N.W.2d 875 (S.D.1981). Therefore, I would uphold the board in its decision to not renew Mr. Dale's teaching contract.