Cause (for termination)
Termination is a permanent severance of the employment relationship between employee and school district. Other terms used for termination are dismissal or discharge.
A school board must have a reason (cause) for terminating or dismissing a professional employee (tenured employee). The only causes for which a professional employee may be terminated by a school board are stated in 24 PS § 11-1122. Untenured employes (temporary professional employes) can be dismissed if rated unsatisfactory and given notification in writing within ten days following the date of the rating as specified in 24 PS § 11-1108(a). Case law also indicates that untenured employees can be dismissed for the same reasons stated in statute for tenured employees.
A collective bargaining agreement may also contain language that might provide additional causes for termination.
School Code 24 PS § 11-1122