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Parent outrage as sick US teacher forced to pay for substitute
LOS ANGELES, May 10, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Parents at an elementary school in
San Francisco have expressed outrage after learning that a teacher suffering
from cancer and on sick leave is having to pay the school district for her
substitute.
The second-grade teacher at Glen Park Elementary is off sick with breast
cancer for the rest of the year and has been paying nearly $200 a day for her
replacement, in accordance with state law, local news reports said.
“Parents were outraged and incredulous — like, this can’t be,” Amanda
Fried, who has a daughter in kindergarten and another in third grade, told
the San Francisco Chronicle. “There must be some mistake.”
A school district spokeswoman, however, told AFP that the payment was not
unusual and was in line with state law.
“This is not unique to San Francisco,” Laura Dudnick said in a statement.
“This is not a district-only rule.”
Dudnick explained that teachers in the district get 10 days of sick leave a
year and can carry over those sick days year after year if they don’t use
them.
Once those sick days are exhausted, teachers are then eligible for 100 days
of extended sick leave, during which they are entitled to their full pay,
minus the cost of a substitute.
On learning about the little-known provision in the state’s education code,
horrified parents last month began raising money for the popular teacher, who
has asked that her name not be disclosed.
A GoFundMe campaign has raised nearly $14,000 and some of the children are
planning bake sales to raise more funds.
“I just feel sad that from what I heard, she is a very good teacher and I
just feel sad what’s going on (with) her,” Narciso Flores-Diaz, a parent,
told NBC Bay Area on Wednesday. “Our school is pulling together to help her
and to make her feel that she’s not alone.”
The GoFundMe page says that parents are supporting the 17-year veteran
teacher as “she has nurtured our children and now it is time for us to take
care of her.”
“Just a few days after her surgery, she took the time to write out 22
completely personalized notes to the students in the class thanking them for
their support, telling them she missed them dearly and encouraging them to
continue working hard,” the campaign said.
The head of the union that represents the teachers said the issue might be
part of the next round of bargaining talks.
“As always, we look forward to making improvements in this and other parts
of the contract,” Susan Solomon, president of the United Educators of San
Francisco, told the Chronicle.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1420 hrs