As with many other schools my school will ask you to cover another class during your prep period if there isn’t a real sub available. Today I received notice that we will also be asked to cover a class during our lunch if a sub is not available. Can they legally ask us to do this?
I wouldn't think they could but then again, we are technically "paid" for our lunch hour. They want everyone in the building. As a result we are dismissed an hour earlier. Which really doesn't mean much since we stay late.
You need to push your teacher's union reps to make "duty free lunches" a big part of the next contract!
They only have a small handful of subs for the district (small). Our union is just about nonexistent. I think there are two or four members?? The only reason I even know we have one is my advisor is the union rep (who happens to be out for a few days).
We can get pulled from our preps as long as they pay us extra. And, per our contracts, we cannot get pulled from lunch--our contract stipulates a "duty-free lunch"... I'm sorry you may have to give yours up. That stinks!
We are entitled to a duty free lunch and 45 minutes of prep time each day (which can not be used for meetings, subbing or any "other duties.") I agree you should check your contract, talk with your union rep and if you're not coverd then make sure it gets mentioned at contract negotiation time!
We don't exactly get paid. For every 6 coverages we do we get a personal day (though we are discouraged from using them too freely).
Our subs now have to go through background checks... that sadly took out several subs between the people who felt violated and those who really did have a record.
i would also check labor laws in your state. Regardless of your contract, I can't imagine they can legally deny you a lunch.
Check your contract. My former school took gross advantage of us until we started filling out time sheets for our missed preps and lunches. Miraculously, the subs were found.
I teach in a parochial school without any sort of cafeteria. The students eat lunch in the classrooms, and we have to stay with them. I would give anything for a duty-free lunch. When I first came to this school, it was really hard to get used to, and I still don't like it, but I've gotten used to it. All the other good things about my school make up for having to eat lunch in the classroom with the students.
This is ridiculous. When I worked at a grocery store as a teenager it would have been absolutely, positively, one-hundred percent unacceptable to work a moment into your 20-30 minute lunch break. The alarm on the computer sounded if you didn't clock-out for lunch, even though it was paid. People deserve a few minutes of each workday to simply be.
We found out yesterday that our "duty free" lunch must now be supervised by teachers. Our jh group has to supply two per day, our choice. There are only five of us, oh well. Seems it's just too much for the poor AP to handle in this very small school.
I remember the same sort of drill from when I worked at Wal-Mart during college. they were paranoid about you not getting your break or lunch. They wouldn't even talk anything buisness to you during that time. I would think that whatever law they were trying to abide by would affect the schools as well.
TIME for Chalkboard Flu! Just have a job action if half of the teachers would get Chalkboard Flu one day and the other half get it the next day What Part of AZ are you in?
In TN the state gives us duty free lunch. If we had to fill in for the lunch monitor, then we were expected to get the time back later.
In our contract, we get a 40-minute, duty-free lunch. We can get pulled off of prep time to cover a class if there isn't a supply teacher, but they do get paid back in time.
Wow, I had no idea so many schools had duty-free lunch! Every teacher at our school has to stay with her own class and eat with them during lunch. I've honestly never expected "not to have to" eat with them until now! I really didn't realize how many teachers have duty-free lunch!!!!
Same here although the kids do eat in a cafeteria. The teachers are the ones on duty during lunch and recess. I have been pulled once during a prep to cover a class but it doesn't happen often. They pull the specials teachers first.
