By Janessa Hilliard | Phoenix New Times
When acclaimed author James Sallis tendered his resignation from his teaching post at Phoenix College at the end of September, he thought he’d leave his position, explain his decision to his students, and quietly spend his time at home getting to work on two new novels.
Instead, the former creative writing instructor found himself fielding calls and press requests from the likes of The Los Angeles Times and The Guardian in London, all of which came armed with two questions: What was this “loyalty oath,” and why had Sallis refused to sign it?
Comment by David Weissman, Rose Law Group employment law attorney:
“On one hand, requiring a state employee to sign a ‘loyalty oath’ such as this seems outdated and arguably is unconstitutional. On the other hand, employees who prefer not to sign these oaths are free to shop their services to private employers who do not have such requirements in place. “Regardless, it is a shame that the students and faculty of Phoenix College have lost the opportunity to learn from such a qualified, high-profile teacher as Mr. Sallis over a relatively meaningless policy which has no relation to his job duties, qualifications or performance. Perhaps it is time for the state to revisit this law, so as to avoid losing any more qualified employees — particularly educators — and the resulting media fallout.
“It would also be interesting to see how this law would fare if challenged in the courts.”
