Employment Laws

While most school districts have an HR department to handle many of the employment procedures and policies, it is imperative for a school administrator to have a strong understanding of this knowledge and procedures as well. In particular, knowing how to handle the day-to-day ethical and legal situations that may arise in the school environment serves an administrator well. For this assignment, you practice applying your knowledge of employment laws, ethics, and policies.

Review the 3 scenarios below:

Scenario A: As principal, you have received a directive to downsize your school staff due to declining enrollment. These decisions are never easy to make, and they are even more difficult when you have new teachers who are making a significant and positive difference in your school’s morale and climate. In addition, there is a probationary teacher who has completed three full years of excellent evaluations and has indicated a strong desire to remain at your school. Is this probationary teacher’s job now protected by tenure, resulting in a less competent teacher being terminated? What are some potential consequences of keeping the probationary teacher on staff, and how would you handle the consequences? What are some potential consequences of keeping a less competent, tenured teacher on staff, and how will you manage the consequences?

Scenario B: Over the past year, you and several other colleagues have received hundreds of emails containing memes, gifs, or jokes from another colleague. You and your colleagues received these messages during the school day and in the evenings outside of school hours. The emails have become increasingly inappropriate and disparaging. The colleague in question is a senior member of your union and plays a powerful role in the collective bargaining process for your district. Other union officials are aware of the issue, but they are concerned that if the colleague’s behavior is reported to the district’s administration, it will adversely impact sensitive contract negotiations. What is your legal responsibility? What actions will you take? What are some potential consequences to your actions, and how will you manage them?

Scenario C: A teacher at your school has complained incessantly about your district’s low pay, including posting her complaints on her personal social media accounts. To earn some extra money at the beginning of the current school year, she launched a business on Etsy selling hand-painted dish towels.

During the course of the year, you realize that she is essentially operating her dish towel business out of her classroom. Throughout the day, she allows students to paint the dish towels, she posts product photos online, and she fills orders during her prep periods. She has even left the school during her lunch period to go to the post office to mail her orders. What is your legal responsibility? What actions will you take? What are some potential consequences to your actions, and how will you manage them?

Write a 350- to 525-word response for each scenario in which you:

1. • Describe the legal and/or ethical issues in the scenario, including specifying the related employment laws.
   • Justify the actions you would take, including policies and procedures that would help guide you.
   • Analyze the potential consequences and how they could be managed.