Krueth v. Independent School District No. 38, Red Lake, Minnesota
Minnesota Court of Appeals
496 N.W.2d 829 (1993)
- Written by Daniel Clark, JD
Facts
By statute, Minnesota required public school districts to place teachers on unrequested leaves of absence in order from least senior to most senior teacher. However, Minnesota Statute § 126.501 created an exception to that policy for American Indian teachers. Under § 126.501, districts were allowed to retain a more junior American Indian teacher while placing a more senior non-American Indian teacher on leave. The American Indian Education Act of 1988, which enacted § 126.501, cited the unique academic needs of Minnesota’s American Indian people and the state’s lack of American Indian teachers as justification for the provision. The statute defined American Indian for its purposes as one who is “enrolled or eligible for enrollment in a federally recognized tribe.” A group of non-Indian American tenured teachers (plaintiffs) challenged § 126.501 in court. Among the teachers’ claims was that § 126.501 violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The court found the policy to be lawful, and the teachers appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Randall, J.)
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