TEACHER RIGHTS IN TEXAS

Join Teachers.Net

Chatboards

Recent Groups

AR Teachers

MEMBERS

3 Members

+ Join Group

Pinned Posts

ALLAll Teachers

Teachers.Net LIVE CHAT Support group - Tues eve!

Featured Jobs

Full-timeMontessori Teacher

Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada

TemporaryTeachers, rural schools

Peace River North School District

Full-timeHead Teacher: 2nd/3rd Grades – Mills College Children’s School

Mills College

Teaching Jobs on Teachers.Net

Featured Job special only $39!

https://teachers.net/jobs

Become a Teachers.Net sponsor!

Arkansas Teachers Chatboard

TEACHER RIGHTS IN TEXAS

by why not lobby for similar rights in your state?

Dec 21, 2006

/blockquote>

Duty-free lunch – Texas Education Code, Sec. 21.405
By law, each classroom teacher and full-time librarian
gets at least a 30-minute lunch period “free from all
duties and responsibilities connected with the instruction
and supervision of students.” According to a Texas
Attorney General opinion, the term “duty” would include a
directive that teachers remain on campus during lunch,
because it would relate to student instruction or
supervision. Districts cannot require teachers to stay on
campus during their 30-minute lunch even if the campus
is “closed” for students.

The law provides exceptions—personnel shortages, extreme
economic conditions or unavoidable/unforeseen
circumstances—which give districts the right to require
teachers to supervise lunches, but not more than one time
per week.

The rules adopted by the commissioner of education set the
bar very high before ...See More

Comment

(6)

report post

view previous comments

dt /blockquote>

>> A district cannot schedule a 7:45 a.m.-3:15 p.m.
>> instructional day, and then give teachers 3:15 p.m.-4:00
>> p.m. to plan after the students leave.

Where can I locate this information? It is very important to
me. My district is trying to tell me that I will have duties
during...See More

Feb 1, 2007

report post

RK Williams On 1/16/07, johnv wrote: > Texas teacher rights are not as cut and dried as you make it > sound. The contract clause that states something like > this "and any duties as should be assigned" does away with a > lot of our rights. I know Texas teachers who tutor i80 days > a year on their conference period that if part of "Texas > Te...See MoreOn 1/16/07, johnv wrote: > Texas teacher rights are not as cut and dried as you make it > sound. The contract clause that states something like > this "and any duties as should be assigned" does away with a > lot of our rights. I know Texas teachers who tutor i80 days > a year on their conference period that if part of "Texas > Teacher Rights." Texas has no true Unions to protect our > rights. The teacher organizations only lobby legislature, > but have no authority like real unions. > > > On 12/21/06, why not lobby for similar rights in your state? > wrote: >> Duty-free lunch – Texas Education Code, Sec. 21.405 >> By law, each classroom teacher and full-time librarian >> gets at least a 30-minute lunch period “free from all >> duties and responsibilities connected with the instruction >> and supervision of students.” According to a Texas >> Attorney General opinion, the term “duty” would include a >> directive that teachers remain on campus during lunch, >> because it would relate to student instruction or >> supervision. Districts cannot require teachers to stay on >> campus during their 30-minute lunch even if the campus >> is “closed” for students. >> >> The law provides exceptions—personnel shortages, extreme >> economic conditions or unavoidable/unforeseen >> circumstances—which give districts the right to require >> teachers to supervise lunches, but not more than one time >> per week. >> >> The rules adopted by the commissioner of education set the >> bar very high before a district can assign a teacher to >> lunch duty. Scheduling problems do not create unforeseen >> circumstances. They exist when an epidemic, illness, or >> natural or man-made disaster leaves no one available to do >> the duty. An extreme economic condition exists when hiring >> a person to supervise lunch would cause the district to >> raise taxes to the extent that the district might face a >> tax roll-back election. A personnel shortage exists only >> after all available nonteaching personnel—superintendent >> and business manager included—have been assigned to the >> duty and the district has diligently recruited community >> volunteers to help. >> >> Planning and preparation time – Texas Education Code, Sec. >> 21.404 >> The law entitles every teacher to planning and preparation >> time, during which the district can require the teacher to >> engage in no activity other than parent-teacher >> conferences, evaluating student work, and planning. >> Teachers must have at least 450 minutes of planning time >> every two weeks in increments of not less than 45 minutes >> within the instructional day. >> >> Examples: >> >> A teacher could have five 90-minute conference periods >> within a two-week period, instead of a 45-minute >> conference period each day. A district can provide 50- >> minute blocks of planning time daily, and exceed the >> minimum requirement, but it could not provide 50 minutes >> one day and 40 minutes the next. >> >> A district cannot schedule a 7:45 a.m.-3:15 p.m. >> instructional day, and then give teachers 3:15 p.m.-4:00 >> p.m. to plan after the students leave. >> >> Conference period cases often involve requirements for >> group planning or staff development during planning >> periods. According to the commissioner of education, if a >> district gives teachers no more than the statutory minimum >> planning time, the district cannot ask teachers to engage >> in group-planning during one of those planning periods. >> >> Example: >> >> A district that schedules 50-minute planning periods every >> day could ask teachers to plan as a group one day every >> two weeks, but the district could not take one planning >> period for group planning and another for staff >> development. >> >> >> What about tutoring? My district states that all staff must do 2 hours of tutoring per week.

Apr 5, 2012

report post

I teach in texas Here is a link to the Texas Education code as it pertains to teachers.

[link removed]

Certainly some schools ignore the law, either blatantly or on occasion. But if you want to, you can document and contact your non-union support group. For a few years our "team leader" tried to convince us that we didn't understand the law. This ...See MoreHere is a link to the Texas Education code as it pertains to teachers.

[link removed]

Certainly some schools ignore the law, either blatantly or on occasion. But if you want to, you can document and contact your non-union support group. For a few years our "team leader" tried to convince us that we didn't understand the law. This year we did work through about 8 lunches and planning periods during testing. I could have filed a complaint but I didn't.

We are not forced to hold tutorials. Some of us do, some don't. I do, after school, but only if it can't be avoided. I'm not going to turn a student away.

The "other duties" is to cover all of the little things like checking out text books, that aren't covered under "teaching".

I can't speak for the whole state, but in my little district they "mostly" follow the law. But I'm guessing it's statewide that if they don't, you take your complaints out of the school. (Contact that non-union group). Complaining at the school labels you as "not a team player".

As far as pay goes, I got the same amount of money this year as I did last year. Of course insurance, etc. went up, not to mention the cost of living, but no increase in salary! A union might have kept that from happening.

On 4/05/12, RK Williams wrote: > On 1/16/07, johnv wrote: >> Texas teacher rights are not as cut and dried as you make it >> sound. The contract clause that states something like >> this "and any duties as should be assigned" does away with a >> lot of our rights. I know Texas teachers who tutor i80 days >> a year on their conference period that if part of "Texas >> Teacher Rights." Texas has no true Unions to protect our >> rights. The teacher organizations only lobby legislature, >> but have no authority like real unions. >> >> >> On 12/21/06, why not lobby for similar rights in your state? >> wrote: >>> Duty-free lunch – Texas Education Code, Sec. 21.405 >>> By law, each classroom teacher and full-time librarian >>> gets at least a 30-minute lunch period “free from all >>> duties and responsibilities connected with the instruction >>> and supervision of students.” According to a Texas >>> Attorney General opinion, the term “duty” would include a >>> directive that teachers remain on campus during lunch, >>> because it would relate to student instruction or >>> supervision. Districts cannot require teachers to stay on >>> campus during their 30-minute lunch even if the campus >>> is “closed” for students. >>> >>> The law provides exceptions—personnel shortages, extreme >>> economic conditions or unavoidable/unforeseen >>> circumstances—which give districts the right to require >>> teachers to supervise lunches, but not more than one time >>> per week. >>> >>> The rules adopted by the commissioner of education set the >>> bar very high before a district can assign a teacher to >>> lunch duty. Scheduling problems do not create unforeseen >>> circumstances. They exist when an epidemic, illness, or >>> natural or man-made disaster leaves no one available to do >>> the duty. An extreme economic condition exists when hiring >>> a person to supervise lunch would cause the district to >>> raise taxes to the extent that the district might face a >>> tax roll-back election. A personnel shortage exists only >>> after all available nonteaching personnel—superintendent >>> and business manager included—have been assigned to the >>> duty and the district has diligently recruited community >>> volunteers to help. >>> >>> Planning and preparation time – Texas Education Code, Sec. >>> 21.404 >>> The law entitles every teacher to planning and preparation >>> time, during which the district can require the teacher to >>> engage in no activity other than parent-teacher >>> conferences, evaluating student work, and planning. >>> Teachers must have at least 450 minutes of planning time >>> every two weeks in increments of not less than 45 minutes >>> within the instructional day. >>> >>> Examples: >>> >>> A teacher could have five 90-minute conference periods >>> within a two-week period, instead of a 45-minute >>> conference period each day. A district can provide 50- >>> minute blocks of planning time daily, and exceed the >>> minimum requirement, but it could not provide 50 minutes >>> one day and 40 minutes the next. >>> >>> A district cannot schedule a 7:45 a.m.-3:15 p.m. >>> instructional day, and then give teachers 3:15 p.m.-4:00 >>> p.m. to plan after the students leave. >>> >>> Conference period cases often involve requirements for >>> group planning or staff development during planning >>> periods. According to the commissioner of education, if a >>> district gives teachers no more than the statutory minimum >>> planning time, the district cannot ask teachers to engage >>> in group-planning during one of those planning periods. >>> >>> Example: >>> >>> A district that schedules 50-minute planning periods every >>> day could ask teachers to plan as a group one day every >>> two weeks, but the district could not take one planning >>> period for group planning and another for staff >>> development. >>> >>> >>> What about tutoring? My district states that all staff must do 2 hours of tutoring > per week.

May 25, 2012

report post

Khristina Shantel Hogan br> > > On 12/21/06, why not lobby for similar rights in your state? > wrote: >> Duty-free lunch – Texas Education Code, Sec. 21.405 >> By law, each classroom teacher and full-time librarian >> gets at least a 30-minute lunch period “free from all >> duties and responsibilities connected with the instruction ...See Morebr> > > On 12/21/06, why not lobby for similar rights in your state? > wrote: >> Duty-free lunch – Texas Education Code, Sec. 21.405 >> By law, each classroom teacher and full-time librarian >> gets at least a 30-minute lunch period “free from all >> duties and responsibilities connected with the instruction >> and supervision of students.” According to a Texas >> Attorney General opinion, the term “duty” would include a >> directive that teachers remain on campus during lunch, >> because it would relate to student instruction or >> supervision. Districts cannot require teachers to stay on >> campus during their 30-minute lunch even if the campus >> is “closed” for students. >> >> The law provides exceptions—personnel shortages, extreme >> economic conditions or unavoidable/unforeseen >> circumstances—which give districts the right to require >> teachers to supervise lunches, but not more than one time >> per week. >> >> The rules adopted by the commissioner of education set the >> bar very high before a district can assign a teacher to >> lunch duty. Scheduling problems do not create unforeseen >> circumstances. They exist when an epidemic, illness, or >> natural or man-made disaster leaves no one available to do >> the duty. An extreme economic condition exists when hiring >> a person to supervise lunch would cause the district to >> raise taxes to the extent that the district might face a >> tax roll-back election. A personnel shortage exists only >> after all available nonteaching personnel—superintendent >> and business manager included—have been assigned to the >> duty and the district has diligently recruited community >> volunteers to help. >> >> Planning and preparation time – Texas Education Code, Sec. >> 21.404 >> The law entitles every teacher to planning and preparation >> time, during which the district can require the teacher to >> engage in no activity other than parent-teacher >> conferences, evaluating student work, and planning. >> Teachers must have at least 450 minutes of planning time >> every two weeks in increments of not less than 45 minutes >> within the instructional day. >> >> Examples: >> >> A teacher could have five 90-minute conference periods >> within a two-week period, instead of a 45-minute >> conference period each day. A district can provide 50- >> minute blocks of planning time daily, and exceed the >> minimum requirement, but it could not provide 50 minutes >> one day and 40 minutes the next. >> >> A district cannot schedule a 7:45 a.m.-3:15 p.m. >> instructional day, and then give teachers 3:15 p.m.-4:00 >> p.m. to plan after the students leave. >> >> Conference period cases often involve requirements for >> group planning or staff development during planning >> periods. According to the commissioner of education, if a >> district gives teachers no more than the statutory minimum >> planning time, the district cannot ask teachers to engage >> in group-planning during one of those planning periods. >> >> Example: >> >> A district that schedules 50-minute planning periods every >> day could ask teachers to plan as a group one day every >> two weeks, but the district could not take one planning >> period for group planning and another for staff >> development. >> >> >> I am a new union president in Houston. Would love to talk with you!

Aug 28, 2013

report post

Teach What about tutoring? My district states that all staff must do 2 hours of tutoring per week.

Aug 15, 2016

report post