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Pinoy Abroad
OVER TEACHING EXPERIENCE POLICY

12 Pinoy teachers in Louisiana, US accuse school district of discrimination


Twelve Filipino teachers have filed complaints accusing the Caddo Parish School Board in Louisiana, USA of discrimination based on their national origin, the Shreveport Times reported on Saturday.

"I have been the victim of national origin discrimination (Filipino) in that I have been denied, employment opportunities, benefits and pay due to my place of origin and/or physical, cultural or linguistic characteristics," one of the complainants alleged.

Calling for an investigation, the teachers lodged their complaints with the Louisiana Commission on Human Rights and the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission earlier in September.

According to the report, Caddo Parish Schools have a policy that requires teaching experience outside the US to be acquired in an "institution or school accredited by an agency recognized in the US."

Advocates of teachers have argued that "no such agency exists," the report added.

"I just don't know if you can sense the level of righteous indignation that we feel about this," said Jackie Lansdale of Red River United, a local teacher's union.

"This is not new information to the district. They know they did it. They did it in a very deliberate manner," she added.

Landsale said there were 43 Filipino teachers working in the district.

A Shreveport lawyer representing the Filipino teachers was quoted as claiming other parishes throughout Louisiana do not have this policy.

The report cited an previous complaint in 2008 wherein a private firm that placed teachers in Caddo Parish schools, Universal Placement International, was accused of conducting a "trafficking scheme" that subjected teachers to "exorbitant debt" and "forced labor," according to a release from the Louisiana Federation of Teachers.

Mary Wood, spokesperson for Caddo Parish schools, reportedly said that the district completed all payments to Filipino teachers it had employed in 2011.

Shreveport Times was not able to get a comment from Wood regarding the complaints as the school district had yet to receive copies. — MDM, GMA News

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