Jury Duty

As people who work for a school district , we are not exempt from being called to Jury Duty. Each contract has specific language regarding court appearances:

• Teachers: Article 6:12

• Paras: Article 6:6

• Secretaries: Article 6:7

• Food Service: Article 6:4

While the language is different in each contract , they all share a common theme. If you are summoned to jury duty, you need to go. If you are paid for your services, bring proof of that to the Payroll Office at Central Office, and you will be paid the difference of what you would be paid for a regular day.

For example, if your regular pay is $50 per day, and the Court s pay you $10, the district will pay you the additional $40 to make you whole for that day.

AFT-NH Legislative Bulletin 2022-16

May 6, 2022 ~ Bow, NH

HB 1431 (parental bill of rights) Despite pleas from education, child advocacy and human rights organizations, the majority in the NH Senate voted final passage on HB 1431 guaranteeing sweeping and uninterrupted parental rights in education while putting vulnerable children at risk of harm. The bill needlessly puts vulnerable children who do not come from safe homes with loving, caring adults at risk of harm and even death by limiting the rights of kids and of the State to protect them. We wish this were hyperbole, but it is not. The bill requires any teacher or school staff to disclose any important information they learn about a child’s health or well-being to a parent, making it impossible for a student to have a conversation or share a concern with a trusted adult in the school setting that they are not ready or not able to share at home. For LGBTQ+ students it can take away a safe place for them at a time in their lives when that space is vital. Without access to trusted adults and safe spaces at school, vulnerable children will be in danger: emotionally and possibly physically.

Make no mistake—this bill is modeled off the “don’t say gay” bill in Florida, without some of the overt language but with every bit the chilling effect. It also continues the trend of most Republican legislators attacking public education and teachers. Those who supported this bill falsely claim that parents don’t currently have access to enough information to know what their child is learning or doing in public school. We know, and testified, that is absolutely NOT the case. AFT-NH knows that when teachers and parents work together as a team, students thrive because they have support for their learning at home and at school. We strongly believe in productive communication between teachers and parents. Most teachers and parents already connect regularly about student learning, whether through email, phone, text, or an online platform. We don’t need a new law to do this, and we certainly don’t need this sweeping law with the potential harm it brings.

Contact the Governor The path of this bill is not yet clear. It could go one of two ways. The House can either concur with the Senate on the changes the Senate made, and the bill will go directly to the Governor, or they will form a committee of conference to work out the differences between the House version and the Senate version. We will know the direction of the bill next week but for now it is never too early to tell the Governor to protect all our students inside and outside of the classroom and veto HB 1431. Click the following link to take this quick action VETO HB 1431: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/governor-sununu-veto-hb-1431