HoCo Teachers Protest By Enacting Work To Rule Resolution

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Many teachers in Howard County are protesting Monday, emphasizing that the "work to rule" resolution be honored by the Howard County Public School System.

"Staff are finished sacrificing everything for an employer who has no respect for their lives or their work," President of the Howard County Education Association Colleen Morris told WBFF.

Howard County Education Association members across the county previously voted on the resolution with 91 percent of voters approving it.

The work to rule resolution states that until the Howard County Board of Education withdraws its plan to compel educators back into buildings before being immunized, that Howard County educators will commence work-to-rule effective Monday:

• Educators will work only within the hours of the contractual duty day. At the beginning of the duty day, staff will enter the building together, and staff will leave together at the end of the day.
• Educators will not participate in optional meetings before and after the contractual duty day.
• Educators will not participate in voluntary back-to-school night activities (unless you have already committed yourself to volunteer).
• Educators will not respond to work-related emails outside of the contractual duty day.
• Clubs and extracurricular activities for which educators do not receive stipends are canceled.
• Paraeducators and ESP staff shall not honor requests to substitute when a teacher is absent for an approved leave of absence.
• Assignments will be graded within the grading window and not sooner. Makeup assignments are at the discretion of the educator, and educators will not give make-up exams before or after the duty day or during contractual planning time.
• PIP time will be reclaimed for its intended purpose of teacher collaboration, and will not be used for administrator-directed meetings unrelated to teacher collaboration.
• Teacher planning time shall be free of distraction and interruption.
• Teachers will not perform custodial duties, and support professionals will not be responsible for cleaning up bodily fluids. Teachers shall not deliver books, equipment, or any heavy or bulky teaching materials to classrooms.
• The work of the teacher’s secretaries shall take priority over other administrative work.
• Teachers will not find their own substitutes to provide coverage.
• Elementary school teachers shall not provide coverage for lunch or recess duties.
• Educators shall not accept any other assignment outside the core job function of each educator.