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HomeEducation CodeDiv. 7Pt. 51Ch. 1Art. 2§ 87039 Employee Retaliation Protection

§ 87039 Employee Retaliation Protection

Education Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 87039 Employee Retaliation Protection

Key Takeaways

  • •Bosses or board members can't punish or treat a community college worker badly just because the worker talked to a government board or committee.
  • •This includes trying to fire, demote, or make work harder for the employee.
  • •It doesn’t matter if the worker chose to speak or was asked to—it’s still protected.
  • •Breaking this rule is a crime (a misdemeanor).

Example

A community college teacher speaks at a school board meeting about safety concerns. The next day, their boss tries to fire them for no good reason.

The boss can’t fire the teacher just because they spoke up at the meeting. That’s against the law, and the boss could get in trouble.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 87039 Employee Retaliation Protection

It shall be unlawful for any person authorized to invoke disciplinary action against any employee of a community college district either in his or her individual capacity or as a member of any board, to invoke or attempt to invoke disciplinary action against any such employee or to discriminate against such employee in the terms, conditions, and privileges of employment solely because of the employee’s appearance before the governing board of a district, the county board of education, legislative committees, or any other duly constituted governmental board, commission or council, whether such appearance was undertaken voluntarily or otherwise. Violation of the provisions of this section shall be a misdemeanor. (Amended by Stats. 1981, Ch. 470, Sec. 322.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

educationemploymentmisdemeanorcrimecommissionemployeecommunityappearance

Related Statutes

  • § 71040 Community College Travel Reimbursement
  • § 84043 Community College Funding Flexibility
  • § 87036 Community College Jury Leave
  • § 88064 Community College Commission Eligibility
  • § 88076 Classified Service Employee Classification

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Education Code. Section 87039.
View Official Source