Teachers and employees of Rockingham County Schools will no longer be able to transfer their kids at will from one school to another:
Rockingham County Board of Education members voted unanimously to restrict the transfers of employees’ children to just one time per year, unless a teacher is moved or another special circumstance comes up. At a previous school board meeting, the issue that some teachers were transferring their students because they didn’t like their child’s teacher was brought up.
…Allison Ormond, a former North Carolina Teacher of the Year, told the board she hopes they considered keeping the perk. Ormond says she first encouraged the board to offer the benefit three years ago as a “professional courtesy.” Teachers’ children are placed on transfer lists in front of other children on the list.
Ormond says teachers transfer their children for several reasons including daycare and childcare services and other reasons. Ormond agrees that multiple moves by employees’ children was abusing the policy but urged the board not to throw it out altogether.
Ted Hopkins, who says he came to the board representing his wife, a teacher, argued teachers should be allowed the perk.
“These folks give their lives to these kids,” Hopkins said. “We should allow them to make their own choice about where they go to school.”
Not to belittle the work teachers do, but shouldn’t the same “courtesy” be extended to so-called regular people?