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Teacher urges district to provide paid time for mandated compliance trainings
Summary
A third‑grade teacher told the committee she was required to complete nearly five hours of mandated compliance training by October and asked for the district to provide paid time during the work day or repurpose a professional development day.
A Lynn Public Schools teacher told the school committee on Sept. 11 that teachers have been told they must complete multiple mandatory compliance courses by October but that the district is expecting them to do the work on their own time.
Jennifer McCarthy, a third‑grade teacher at Drewitz and a 31‑year educator, told the committee that the required trainings total roughly 280 minutes and include multiple modules (60 minutes for course 1, 90 minutes for course 2, 60 minutes for mandated reporter training, 45 minutes for ethics every other year, and 25 minutes for a stop‑the‑bleed module). She said the district historically provided work‑day time for such trainings but that principals told teachers this year the trainings are part of personal responsibility and must be completed outside scheduled hours.
Why it matters: McCarthy said other City of Lynn employees such as police and fire personnel are scheduled and compensated for mandatory training, and asking teachers to complete required courses outside contracted hours sets a concerning precedent and may conflict with contract terms. She requested that the committee reconsider and provide time in the work day, suggesting repurposing a November professional development day to accommodate the training.
Response and next steps: Committee members acknowledged the concern and asked administration to review the request. McCarthy asked that teachers be allowed paid time during the work day or be compensated by giving them time back; she also gave a breakdown of the estimated training minutes to demonstrate the workload (about five hours). The committee did not take a formal vote; administration said they would review the request and report back.
(Article compiled from the Sept. 11 open mic session.)
