In Webb v. County Board of Education of Dyer County, Tennessee (1984), the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of a school board that had dismissed a tenured teacher for insubordination and neglecting her duties. The plaintiff, Mrs. Webb, argued that she was unjustly fired after refusing to comply with an order from the principal to administer corporal punishment on students as it went against her personal beliefs and professional judgment about effective discipline methods. However, the court found that while teachers have some freedom in their teaching methods within classrooms, they are still employees who must follow reasonable directives from superiors even if they disagree personally or professionally with those orders. Therefore, Mrs.Webb's refusal constituted insubordination which justified her dismissal under state law.

In the dissenting opinion for Webb v. County Board of Education of Dyer County, Tennessee, Justice Brennan disagreed with the majority's decision to uphold a school board policy that required pregnant teachers to take unpaid leave five months before their due dates. He argued that this ruling was inconsistent with previous Supreme Court decisions which had established that policies based on stereotypes about pregnancy were discriminatory and violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Furthermore, he contended that there was no substantial evidence showing these policies were necessary for ensuring student safety or educational continuity. Instead, they seemed rooted in outdated beliefs about women’s capabilities during pregnancy rather than actual medical facts or individual assessments of ability to work while pregnant. Therefore, he believed such blanket rules unfairly penalized all pregnant teachers without considering their individual circumstances or abilities.