Local News in Brief : Board Denies Bid to Sue Teachers Union

A state board has denied a Los Angeles Unified School District request to take United Teachers-Los Angeles to court over the union’s boycott of some regular teacher duties.

The district, which is engaged in tough negotiations with teachers over a new contract, had asked the state Public Employment Relations Board to seek a court injunction to halt the boycott that began in September.

Many teachers are refusing to perform such duties as yard supervision, faculty and parent meetings, filing copies of report cards with school offices and, in elementary grades, turning in complete attendance records.

The five-member board, which has the authority to intervene in labor disputes affecting public agencies, turned down the district’s request late Tuesday, stating only that it was deemed not to be “just and proper” at the present time.

“When a party seeks injunctive relief, it really has to show this is something quite extraordinary,” Christine Bologna, general counsel for the board, said Wednesday. The board’s decision not to go to court for the district “is not intended as a statement on the merits or demerits of either party’s position.”