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Marshall teacher asks board to reverse unpaid-leave denial, cites rural child-care shortage
Summary
A Marshall ALC teacher told the school board the district should reconsider denying her requested unpaid personal leave (Feb. 9–March 26, 2027), saying lack of local child care and superintendent discretion under the MEA contract make the absence feasible without harming classrooms.
Rachel Dove, a teacher at the Marshall Area Learning Center, asked the Marshall School Board on Tuesday to reconsider a recommendation to deny her request for an unpaid personal leave of absence from about Feb. 9 through March 26, 2027. "We respectfully ask that you consider this request and me to take an unpaid leave of absence from approximately February 9th, 2027 through March 26th, 2027," she said during the public forum.
Dove said the leave is separate from paid family medical leave and would allow her to return at the start of fourth quarter. She told the board she informed Principal Jones earlier in the year about potential bonding leave and decided against it then to avoid additional staffing strain; her current request, she said, is driven by the unavailability of child care locally until July 2027.
Dove argued the district can staff her absence without disruption: the same long-term substitute used during her paid family medical leave could cover the requested period. She also cited the MEA contract, which gives the superintendent discretion to approve additional unpaid leave "in emergency situations," and said she is providing nearly a year’s notice to allow planning.
In her remarks Dove placed the issue in the broader community context, noting national and local child-care shortages and quoting a recent visit by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar on rural child-care needs. She said local employers such as ADM and North Star Mutual Insurance have acknowledged that child-care shortages affect employee retention and hiring.
The board did not take an immediate vote on Dove’s request during the public comment period; she asked the board both to reconsider her individual leave request and to consider districtwide strategies to better support employees balancing family responsibilities and school careers.
The board also heard a brief acknowledgment of parental photo opportunities and a housekeeping thank-you before moving to the next agenda item.
