Appeals court: Teacher licensing lawsuit can proceed

A three-judge state appeals court panel has refused to throw out a lawsuit against the Minnesota Board of Teaching.

A group of teachers sued the board last April saying the board was arbitrarily denying licenses to qualified teachers. The board tried unsuccessfully to get the case dismissed.

In December, a district court judge ordered the board to re-start an alternative application process known as portfolio licensure, craft rules for the portfolio process and report its progress at a January court hearing.

This week the Appeals Court again rejected the board's attempt to dismiss the lawsuit, but the court reversed the order requiring the board to write new rules for portfolio licensure and attend a compliance hearing.

The Department of Education is currently accepting portfolio applications on an ongoing basis. The department said in July it had received 17 portfolios. It said nine of the portfolios had been recommended for licensure and seven were still in process.