I am so extremely proud to call Deb Walter my friend...especially as she bravely speaks in favor of changes to outdated and discriminatory family leave policy at her school district. You go girlfriend! Her story: I am proud to say today my colleagues and I took the first steps in introducing a new policy proposal change to the Rogers Public School District personal and policy committee. My dear colleagues Patti and Julia helped me revise the outdated antiquated old PPC policy with updated language to reflect a modern day definition of what is considered an immediate family. I requested to personally speak to the committee after Julia’s proposal was submitted on the floor and below was my written speech. I decided it would be best to write down my thoughts to better articulate my points in front of the committee members. I was terrified I would break down and not be able to clearly and confidently get my message across to my peers on the PPC committee, however I stood tall with chin up with a heavy heart. As I spoke before my peers at the PPC meeting, I was overwhelmed with emotion as today marked a giant step for the many teachers and staff who could be standing in my shoes in the future. I felt proud to speak publically in front of my peers about the facts of my circumstances and how that this outdated policy was negativity impacting my immediate family. The speech went as follows… Hello my name is Deb Walter and I am in my 15th year as a teacher here in the Rogers Public School District having served on this PPC committee for 8 years. I am a Nationally Board Certified Teacher and have teaching credentials in 6 subject areas. In 2007, I was selected as the National High School PE teacher of the year and have successfully written almost $100,000 dollars worth of grants for the Rogers Public School District. I have dedicated my entire teaching career to the students I teach and this district in which I am employed. I am a Rogers native and graduated from RHS as a proud Lady Mountie in 1987. I come today before the PPC committee not to complain or grip, but to enlighten the committee on how an old archaic antiquated sick leave PPC policy from the stone ages is presently impacting my immediate family in a detrimental and damaging way. I have sat on this committee for many years and seen ridiculous and sometimes petty policy proposal changes brought before the committee and administration. However, I have sat back and been a great observer and listener of veteran members of this committee and learned that this committee is the only voice for protecting the rights and benefits of the Rogers’s teachers and staff. I come to you today with an illustration of how an outdated policy that has not been reviewed in years could further financially devastate my family and me this year. I strongly believe that Rogers Public School System leads the state and country in progressive high tech schools, extensive use of new age technology, and cutting edge implementation of high yield teaching strategies for teachers and students. These high tech schools are taught by high tech progressive teachers of whom could teach anywhere in the United States but choose to teach in Rogers. I love that our district motto is to provide an environment of educational excellence where all belong, all learn and all succeed. However, I recently found myself at a terrible Crossroads where I did not belong, I could not learn, and I defiantly could not succeed because of our current terribly unjust and unbelievably outdated sick leave policy. On August 6th at approx 4pm my partner and wife of 13 years fell 16 feet in front of my eyes from our top deck to the bottom deck of our home at the lake, which we have been personally building for 3 years. Susan was life flighted in critical condition from our back yard to Joplin Freeman with life threatening injuries. On Aug 7th Susan endured a frightening emergency back reconstructive surgery with rods, pins, and screws to repair her severely broken back at T11-T12. We learned after the surgery that her spinal cord was crushed in the fall and she would most likely be paralyzed for life. After gathering my emotions after three very intense days in the ICU I phoned my principal on Friday Aug 9th and let her know what had happened to Susan and that I would not be able to start school with my friends on Monday Aug 12th which was our first day for teachers to report to school. I told my principal at that time that I had 77 days of sick leave and I was not sure when I would be able to come back to school because of the extensive injuries Susan had sustained. My principal assured me not to worry and that she would contact adm for me and take care of everything at school. The following week on my principal called me while Susan was still in the ICU at Joplin Freeman and told me that administration had called her and they would not allow me to use my sick leave for Susan’s accident and that I would be put on leave with no pay after my 4 days of personal leave had been exhausted. When I heard this news from my principal I just sat on the other end of the phone line and began to cry. I felt as if I had just been stabbed in the heart from my employer who was not going to allow me to use my 77 days of earned sick leave for my spouse which is my immediate family member, therefore docking my pay at full rate until I returned to work. Susan remained at Joplin Freeman Hospital for 13 days until I could raise the $80,000 cash to get her admitted to Craig Spinal Hospital in Denver CO, since she was uninsured, another issue at another time. I sold everything that we owned that was not tied down to give her a chance at a quality rehab and a higher quality of life with her serious spinal cord injury. I drove to Rogers and met with Dr. Hill and explained my situation with Susan. Dr. Hill even asked me to bring in my marriage license from Massachusetts, so he could put a copy of it in my permeate personal files. Dr. Hill explained to me that the way to current policy was written and there was nothing he or Dr. Darr could do for me and that I would be docked my pay until I returned to work. Susan was flown to Craig Hospital on an emergency angel flight on Aug 19th and she remains in Denver today continuing her gulling spinal cord rehabilitation. She is expected to return home sometime in the middle of Oct. I am Susan’s primary care provider and her immediate and only primary family caregiver…period! When I explained to the doctors and nurses at Craig hospital that I had to return home to go back to work because my employer would not honor my sick leave for Susan they were mortified and in shock. I stayed with Susan for the first week she was at Craig and returned to my sweet students at KMS who were just amazing. I continue to fly to Denver every other weekend, so I can continue to work for our family since I am the sole income for my family now. Last week when I opened up my paycheck in the front office I dropped to my knees and started to cry when I realized that Rogers had docked my pay $3483.62 for the 11 days I was docked leaving me only $1050.91 for the month to pay my bills. I have dedicated my career to Rogers Public School District and have rarely utilized my sick leave over the past 15 years. I have accrued 77 days of sick leave and now cannot use these days for my spouse who is suffering alone 900 miles away in CO. When Susan comes home in 3 weeks I do not know what immense challenges I will face with her serious injuries and a life of living in a wheelchair. The current outdated, unfair, and antiquated sick leave policy leaves me hanging out on the line to dry financially and continuing to dock my pay to be at home when needed to assist my spouse is appalling and merciless. This current policy as written now forces me to lie when I call in sick instead of being honest and allowing my employer to know why I have to be gone for doctors appointments or serious medical reasons for Susan. I request that you take this updated policy change back to your schools and ask for an immediate vote to update and change the current sick leave policy to be reflective of current times and updated definitions of “a family” and to mirror major employers such as Arvest Bank and Wal-Mart and so many others changing their policies to be reflective of the new updated guidelines from our federal government and new laws handed down from the supreme court this summer. I wonder how much of your salary is funded from federal tax dollars?
Posted on: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 20:58:52 +0000
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