Posted on 10/26/2016 12:11:22 PM PDT by Scarpetta
More than 1 in 4 of the nation’s full-time teachers are considered chronically absent from school, according to federal data, missing the equivalent of more than two weeks of classes each academic year in what some districts say has become an educational crisis.
The U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights estimated this summer that 27 percent of the nation’s teachers are out of school for more than 10 days of regular classes — some missing far more than 10 days — based on self-reported numbers from the nation’s school districts. But some school systems, especially those in poor, rural areas and in some major cities, saw chronic absenteeism among teachers rise above 75 percent in 2014, the last year for which data is available.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I haven’t missed 10 days of work in four years, since I started.
I always considered my sick day as insurance against severe illness.
When I retired they gave me 1/2 pay for 130 of the days, the other were lost although I offered them up for a fund covering teachers in the district who had cancer.
My wife worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District for 40+ years and she said you would be surprised at the number of teachers out for workmens compensation.
My wife worked for over 25 years in the school system (Therapist not a teacher). Kids are walking petri dishes of all sorts of virus’. working with 30 kids a day there will be a tendency to come down with various ailments at a higher rate than most.
[More than 1 in 4 of the nation’s full-time teachers are considered chronically absent from school]
and often leave substitute teachers with inadequate lesson plans.
The Wife’s Union Teacher contract ALLOWS eleven paid days off.
5 sick, 5 personal, and one “Union Activity Day” which usually means a paid day off for protesting at the Statehouse.
She has well over 100 days “Saved up” at this point in her career.
Most teachers get 10-11 sick days and 3 personal days a year. What’s the problem ???
You and I both know there are larger issues than sick kids spreading germs.
FTA: “In the Alamance-Burlington School District...80 percent of its 1,500 teachers missed more than 10 days of school in the...school year. Cleveland reported that about 84 percent of its 2,700 teachers had excessive absences. Nevada’s Clark County School District...reported that more than half of its 17,000 teachers were chronically absent — missing a total of at least 85,000 work days, or the equivalent number of hours that nearly 500 teachers would work during an entire 180-day school year.”
At these rates, why aren’t these schools quarantined!?
At the school where I work, many teachers take “mental health” days. If you have set foot in a public school recently, you would understand. If not, go down to your local playground or mall or movie theater or anywhere else where kids congregate and you’ll have some idea.
If you are a wonderful parent with wonderful kids...well, that’s wonderful. However, America is awash in broken homes, missing parents, poor parenting, feral teenagers - all of which receive considerable treatment here at FR.
Only after tenure has kicked in, I’ll bet!
Their contracts and guaranteed perks are the problem. My neighbor drives a school bus. She’s off all summer long and has federal holidays and long breaks each semester. Yet she uses her guaranteed vacation time when school’s in session. Union piggies feeding at the taxpayer trough. And just because it’s “allowed,” doesn’t make it morally right.
I was at my son’s JHS just yesterday. Dealing with awful parents and rotten children would make me nuts, and that’s why I’m not a teacher. But if I did work in a school - even a Blue Ribbon school - the long breaks, higher than average salaries, and gold-plated perks and pensions, would offset any bad taste left in my mouth.
It’s pretty high in some blue collar union jobs too!
I see you’re of the “sick days are to used” school of employment.
“Higher than average salaries...”
I started teaching in 1986 making $20K/year (only have a bachelor’s degree). I had a stint of 10 years where I left teaching altogether, but have since returned. I am in my 21st year of teaching and earn $50K. Not sure that qualifies as higher than average...
The ONLY way to cure this is with money. At the hospital where I worked, people (non-union) were allowed 10 sick days per year, but you got an extra week’s worth of pay (bonus) if you took 5 or fewer days off. There was one year, where I was truly sick for 6 days, but I took the 6th day as a vacation day, so that I could qualify for the bonus. The other years, when I wasn’t sick, I didn’t take ANY days off. The school’s union contract needs to be revised so that teachers are either penalized for taking more than 10 days off, or given an incentive for taking 5 or fewer days off.
Would,you want to teach urban feral kids you cant control or punish because its racist to do so?
Not in favor of absentee teachers. But i can understand why urban demographics have higher teacher absentee rates.
Very true. Mental health days are need from time to time. Parents do not discipline there children and the most schools do not discipline them either. It makes for a rough work place especially in the inner city. We need more good conservatives in education.
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