I was notified via email from my principal that I should expect to receive a "Letter of Reprimand". There were no other details. It may be because I left campus 30 minutes early early due to sickness. No students were left unattended or any unsafe conditions caused.

Does anyone have experience with getting this kind of reprimand and what effect it will have on my future? Also, any advice about addressing and/or mitigating?

Thank you. I'm dedicated to this school and this hurts.

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As a former NEA Union Rep - DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING! Contact your union rep and do not meet with the Principal until you have representation!

likehelpfulsmart

This reply was for Indiana, the teacher who does not have access to a union.

I agree with a previous post, do not meet with the principal without union representation present. Don’t sign anything.

A letter or reprimand; what a bunch of BS. This letter will be sent to your permanent file at the district office and your principal will keep a copy of the letter in your file in his office most probably. What does that actually mean for you…absolutely nothing. Let’s be honest, nobody ever looks at these files. Your principal is a weasel and trying to intimidate you. You had a valid reason for leaving. The only mistake you most likely made was leaving without his knowledge. Your principal is butthurt that you left without telling him even though you didn’t have students for the remainder of the day. This is your principal’s exercise of control. If you meet with him/her (with a union rep) simply explain the circumstance of why you left. If the principal wants to make a big deal out of this, let him. The only thing he can do is ask you to make up the time, dock you pay for a half hour, or require you to spend some of your comp time if you have any. His/her opinion means nothing in the end. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…principal’s pass through, your there to stay. Just grin and bare it. If he’s smart, he won’t want to make a big deal about this as it will make him look like he doesn’t have control of his staff.

Here’s how I see it. With the upcoming teacher shortage, you’re in the driver’s seat here. Try not to worry. Your principal won’t be there for the duration of your career. Take my word for it; after 27 years in, you realize that you have more power than you think.

Finally, I do have a question…how did your principal find out you left? To me, this is the real issue. If he just happened to go to your room that’s ok. If someone told him, you need to find out who and address that person. If a fellow teacher told him you left, I would speak with that teacher and ask them why they felt the need to get involved in this matter.

Bottom line…this means nothing if you are tenured.

likesmart

We are required to notify the front office anytime we leave the building. So an email or call to the office before you left. Hopefully not a big deal, live and learn. Just tell him you were that sick, it was an emergency.

likeupliftinghelpful
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I think it is so disrespectful to tell you to expect one and yet not give you any details. This is exactly why people are leaving the profession. Respect…is that really too much to ask?

likehelpful

Wow, look at all these people talking about calling union reps and advising not to sign anything without knowing the story. That's the problem with our society. No one believes they should be held accountable for their actions. Want to know something I learned a long time ago? If you want to live a life that is as stress free as possible, tell the truth always and accept responsibility for your actions when you know you are wrong.
If you look at the responses you can see that the OP left campus and then emailed their principle when they got home. Does that sound acceptable to anyone? I think any reasonable person would agree that we should let someone in our chain of command that we are leaving due to illness (or any reason) prior to leaving campus. So they should go to the meeting and accept the consequences of their actions. That's what grownups do.

likeuplifting

Guilty or not…..ALWAYS take representation!!! Those of us who have had the best and the worst of admin would never make the error of going in for a reprimand (guilty or not)without a second ear…..representation! Don’t leave home without it! Please keep us posted on what happens!Thinking about you and sending good vibes!!!

likehelpful

A lot of good advice here, so I'll give my brief assessment. The bad news is, you were definitely wrong for leaving without notifying anybody. No employer in any field will be OK with that. You have contractual start and end times, as well as expected "on the clock" hours. Your principal isn't "butt hurt," as someone mentioned. You likely broke a rule, and now you have to deal with it.

That said, you should be entitled to a meeting with administration and your representation before discipline is given. It seems he missed a step in the process as well, so make sure you understand your contractual language as it pertains to your rights. You still may receive a letter, but make sure all procedures are followed.

likeupliftingsmart

I know. I said in my last reply that you're supposed to say something before you leave, not after.

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ALWAYS, ALWAYS let your principal or AP know if you need to leave early.

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Talk with your building rep.

likesmart

Call your union rep ASAP

likesmart

When you meet with the principal, you can have a union rep with you, but it can also be a colleague. If you don’t have representation or no one is available, and the meeting turns into disciplinary action, ask for it to stop immediately and tell them you would like to have union representation. (Remember that you need to be a member of the union to ask for this.) If the principal is going to put a reprimand in your file, you also have the right to attach your own version of the event to that letter. In the a letter, I would include an explanation of why you left early as well as a printout of the email you sent the principal after you got home, making sure there is a time stamp of when the email was sent. Finally, make sure that in your letter you ask that it is attached to the reprimand.

likesmartfunny

Yes, it's called an entitlement program. Thanks SCOTUS.

I would not go to that meeting without union representation.

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This is a cliffhanger…stay tuned for the next season of Letter of Reprimand.

likefunny

You don't want to spread whatever sickness you might have to others. Is there a procedure in place for getting sick and going home? Maybe they can share the proper procedure with you.

like

A letter of reprimand goes into your HR record and can be used against you if the principal decides to remove you from your position. I would contact your union rep. Arrange to have a meeting to discuss the nature of the reprimand with your rep present. If it is because you left early then say it was a misunderstanding. You felt Ill and did not want to expose anyone else. Was this during your prep period? Is that why you didn't have any students unattended? Did you inform the secretary and sign out if needed? Was the procedure explained to you ? If not apologize. A warning rather than a write up would be fair and better for everyone after all we are still in a COVID-19 Endemic.

like

Also take a COVID-19 home test to make sure.

likesmart

I wonder if the same principal keeps track and offers letter of thanks for showing up early to school. Leaving a few minutes early? Aren't we adults for pets sake? Micromanaging is NOT good for morale especially in today's climate.

likefunny

KHS - Respectfully, this situation isn’t about you.

Wait and see what happens. Do not depend on the union to help you out. If you have a meeting, go by yourself and see how it goes. If you need representation, represent yourself. If you do not already know the school board members now is a good time to get to know them in case you need their help. If indeed it was because you left early without informing them that is easy to fix next time so let them k is you will tell them if you need to leave early. I have been reprimanded several times in my career and figured it was just part of doing a good job. Keep doing a good job and you will have nothing to worry about.

likesmarthelpfulfunny

Bad idea. Teachers usually explain a lot and get into deeper trouble. A rep can remind the teacher to zip it up, take a quick break, and consult. No shame in getting more ears, especially when the admin and assitant admin were teaming up.

likesmart

No letter of reprimand shall enter your file without there first being a meeting with Union Representation present.

Schedule a meeting with your principal and CC your Union Rep on all correspondence.

If they move forward with entering documentation of a derogatory nature into your file without first observing protocol, your district is exposing themselves to litigation. This is no laughing matter.

Put on your wraps and boxing gloves and get ready to fight.

likesmart

Once in the beginning of my teaching career I was told there would be a letter placed in my file. I wrote a reply/rebuttal letter to put I my file as well to explain the situation. Years later when I asked for a copy of my file only my letter was there. So my advice is don’t sweat it until you get it.

like

Who did you tell that you were leaving? If adm was notified go to the meeting with a smile. If you did not, go with an apology. Go alone and continue to develop a relationship with your co-workers.

likesmart

Nah, go with your union rep or at least notify them and seek their advice. Here is Cali we have unions for that very reason. Too many new teachers are intimidated by admin needlessly. Prepare, explain as needed and move on. But don't worry, it really amounts to very little.

like

I am so tired of hearing about incompetent administrators who treat their teachers in this way. A letter of reprimand might be appropriate, but it needs to be preceded, at the very least, by a conversation. Only a clueless or predatory leader would do what you have described..

like

I want to know what happened in the meeting. 😳

likefunny

What kind of passive aggressive mismanagement is that? Your principal should have talked with you privately in person about something like that instead of causing you to become anxious and speculate about what is going on. That is completely unprofessional of him!

likesmart

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