Teachers, unions and parents press board on workload, special-ed supports and substitutes
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Summary
Teachers, union leaders and parents told the Charles County Board of Education that excessive workload, unresolved student behavioral incidents and a shortage of substitutes are harming instruction and special‑education service delivery.
Multiple speakers at the Nov. 4 public forum and two labor leaders told the board that educator workload and special-education delivery have reached a breaking point.
EACC President Sean Howe warned that teacher workload — driven by collaborative planning mandates, increasing numbers of new/conditional teachers and added noninstructional duties — is creating a retention risk. Gertrude Lawson, president of AFSCME Local 2981, told the board she has received repeated complaints from bus drivers, assistants and attendants about violent and unsafe behaviors that remain unresolved for weeks or months; she asked for expedited incident investigation timelines, additional training and clear protective policies for supporting staff who work closely with students with aggressive behaviors.
Several classroom teachers and parents at public comment described frequent classroom disruptions, the spread of inclusion placements without commensurate staffing and fewer available substitutes. Teacher commenters said that when substitutes are unavailable a school often must reassign special‑education aides and teachers to cover other rooms, which removes essential services from students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and reduces instruction time for all pupils.
Board members acknowledged the complaints and said they will pursue the matter: staff will convene workload and substitute‑coverage discussions and the board has an ongoing engagement with EACC about mandates. Several administrators and staff reminded the board that staff training, cross‑department communication and funding constraints are part of a complex solution. The board did not adopt new policy at the meeting.
What the board asked for: clearer reporting and data on substitute coverage gaps, a summary of incident-report timelines and pending cases in the district, and a schedule to consider workload and collaborative‑planning requirements with teacher representatives and union partners.
