The ADA does not cover employees who live with someone who has a disability or high-risk condition. The sheer volume of accommodations forced the school board to vote to begin the school year remotely. Dr. Aparna Sridhar, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California Los Angeles’ school of medicine, said in an email that at this time, all pregnant women, regardless of trimester, should take precautions to prevent infections. Library Personnel/Media Specialist Education Services Agency However, FMLA can only be used once in a 12-month period, so employees who already used it—or are planning to use it—to care for a new baby will be ineligible. All of the district’s teachers who left were fined $1,000 for failing to give 30 days’ notice. Casey Smith is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Teachers who feel like their request for an accommodation has been unfairly denied also have the option to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or with their local union, the NEA says, adding that there could also be grounds for possible litigation. Principal) In some cases, teachers who have not been able to secure an accommodation are considering not coming back to work at all. For example, simply being older than 65 is not a disability. “I have heard from teachers that are just heartbroken to leave the classroom, but they didn’t feel safe going back. INDIANAPOLIS -- With many teachers opting out of returning to the classroom because of the coronavirus, schools around the U.S. are scrambling to find replacements and in some places lowering certification requirements to help get substitutes in the door. District Personnel - Other (Admin., Specialist, etc.) This document explains how Statutory Annual Leave Entitlement is to apply when a teacher is absent as a result of long term sickness. There are especially few options for teachers who have a high-risk family member, Morgan said. In New York City schools, the nation’s largest district that is set to welcome students back into school buildings on Sept. 10 for a few days a week, about 15 percent of teachers have applied for medical exemptions to work from home. In Salt Lake County, Utah, the state’s most populated metropolitan area, more than 80 teachers have either resigned or retired early because of concerns about COVID-19 in schools. If the requested accommodation would pose an undue hardship—defined in the law as an action requiring significant difficulty or expense—the employer must try to identify another way to accommodate the employee. ... And we know that’s going to happen more and more,” Henderson said. The majority of requests to teach remotely were granted. In some cases, that has proved to be impossible, and district leaders have had to either decide to keep school buildings closed or find alternate ways to accommodate teachers without keeping them home. Some teachers waited until the last minute, hoping that the district would change its reopening plan. Some districts have also offered their teachers an unpaid, job-protected leave of absence. The parental leave circular makes provision for parental leave to be suspended by the teacher in the event that the teacher becomes too ill to care for their child, of if the employer believes the teacher is using the parental leave for a purpose other than childcare. The district offered teachers the option to request remote teaching assignments or a leave of absence for personal reasons related to Covid-19 exposure. People who are older than 65 are at higher risk for serious illness due to COVID-19, as are those who are obese, have serious heart conditions, or have Type II diabetes. But her partner teacher is also immunocompromised and requested to work from home as well. Administrators said both of them couldn’t be remote, and since Kaitlyn’s partner teacher submitted her paperwork first, she is the one who will be teaching remotely. Forty-six percent of teachers said a member of their household has a physical condition that puts them at risk, according to the EdWeek survey. As school buildings in some states begin to reopen in various capacities, many teachers who are at higher risk for severe complications from COVID-19 are hoping they won’t have to go back. Teachers in at least three states have died after bouts with the coronavirus since the start of the new school year. Of those, 26 were certified staff, including teachers. Instead, the district is giving Kaitlyn a teacher’s assistant and an office. “We’re thinking about students, our schools, our community with every decision we make,” Little said. In cases where teachers are exposed to the virus, they could face pressure to return to the classroom. “I’ve gotten more (teachers) calling me back saying, ‘Well, I’m going to go ahead and retire,’” Whitcomb said. Several states have seen surges in educators filing for retirement or taking leaves of absence. This circular details the arrangements regarding "Teachers' leave of absence for a period exceeding three working days". INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — With many teachers opting out of returning to the classroom because of the coronavirus, schools around the U.S. are scrambling to find replacements and in some places lowering certification requirements to help get substitutes in the door. The Family Medical Leave Act also allows employees who have been at their job for at least a year to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected time off. In Granite, most students will return to in-person instruction for four days a week, and there are few opportunities for teachers to instruct solely online. She’ll be delivering instruction on a new platform, but she’s relieved to not have to worry about potential exposure. District Leadership - Business, Communications, HR Some are retiring early, resigning, or taking unpaid leave. In Georgia, where schools across the state have already started the year with mostly in-person learning, some districts have told teachers that letting them work remotely would be too great of a burden on their operations, said Lisa Morgan, the president of the Georgia Association of Educators, a professional group of teachers in the state. Still, the district has “reduced our class sizes as much as they can, and they’ve been very accommodating,” she said. Superintendent “They’re doing the best they can to help me be healthy, which I really appreciate.”. Requests from 282 educators were received. 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