Cal State East Bay Reinstates Quaker Instructor Previously Dismissed For Refusal to Sign Required Loyalty Oath

Saturday's San Francisco Chronicle reported that Marianne Kearney-Brown, a remedial math instructor fired by Cal State East Bay for refusing to sign a required loyalty oath unless she could later it to reflect her Quaker commitment to pacifism, has been reinstated.  (See prior post for text of oath and further details about the controversy.) At a grievance hearing on March 6 at which Ms. Kearney-Brown presented her challenge to her dismissal,the Cal State chancellor's office clarified the intended meaning of the oath, stating, "Signing the oath does not carry with it any obligation or requirement that public employees bear arms or otherwise engage in violence."  After receiving that clarification and obtaining a promise that the institution would provide a statement communicating that message to future employees, Ms. Kearney-Brown signed the required oath form, allowing her to return to the classroom.

JFB