Union negotiator urges clearer due-process language in teacher-discipline clause

At a collective-bargaining meeting, union negotiator Andy recommended rewriting the district's discipline clause to ensure serious incidents are investigated before severe sanctions are applied. Andy said the current text handles minor infractions but can leave teachers exposed in more serious cases.

"So I'm suggesting it says no teacher shall be disciplined rather than reduced to rank compensation without due process," Andy said, urging language that preserves progressive discipline while guaranteeing a formal process before punitive actions. He recounted a case in which a special-education teacher was terminated after placing a student in a chair without an investigation, and said the union had to intervene on the teacher's behalf.

Association representatives asked clarifying questions about how the proposed language would interact with non‑tenured employees; Andy said the intent is not to remove progressive discipline but to make the district’s obligations and teachers' due‑process rights explicit. Administrators agreed they wanted progressive steps preserved but emphasized non‑tenure status can change the district's options in certain circumstances.

Negotiators said they would circulate marked language and follow up by email so both sides could propose specific edits and avoid unintended consequences when the contract's other provisions interact with disciplinary rules.