While Covid-19 was devastating schools, the Newark Board of Education decided to require teachers to use their sick days when they had to miss school because they were isolating at home. Many were stuck at home not because of their own exposure but  because their children had been exposed to the coronavirus or were close contacts with someone who tested positive. While teachers who were “quarantining” didn’t  have to use their sick days, those who were “isolating” did. 

After a grievance filed by the local chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, the union that represents Newark educators, an arbiter has ruled that Newark Public Schools will have to reinstate those lost sick days and, according to nj.com, “repay its teachers and aides who had to isolate after being exposed.” About 800 teachers and other staff members will divvy up one million dollars. 

Turns out the district’s distinction between quarantine and isolation is false; there is no “legal difference,” according to arbitrator Robert C. Gifford.

Newark Teachers Union President John Abeigon said the decision was “a terrific Thanksgiving gift” because “it sounded idiotic to us from the very beginning,” he said of the district’s policy.

Union officials estimated that with an average district-wide salary of $75,000 or $348.48 a day, if 400 members lost 5 days each, the decision would restore $700,000 to staff. Abeigon said he believed twice the registered members were affected, and he said his estimate of $1 million was conservative.

This is not the first time Abeigon has been in the news regarding teacher attendance . According to data compiled by the district, in 2016-2017 nearly half of the teachers in Newark’s traditional public schools missed at least 13 days of work school year and 21% of teachers missed 20 days or more. That’s one out of every 10 days. This caught the attention of Leslie Brody, then head education writer for the Wall Street Journal. She quoted then-superintendent Chris Cerf, who called Newark’s chronic teacher absenteeism a “very significant issue” that hurts student learning and costs more than $8.5 million yearly in substitutes. She also quoted John Abeigon, who blamed the high absenteeism rates on low-income parents:

Newark Teachers Union President John Abeigon said poor parents who lack child care often send sick children to school and spread germs to staff. Beyond that, he blamed many absences on low morale due to the district’s pay-for-performance system and use of achievement data as part of teacher ratings. Going to work ‘shouldn’t be stressful to the point where it’s making you sick between anxiety and paranoia,’ he said.