School district takes teachers union to court for wave of absences that forced school closures

LAS VEGAS (AP) — School district officials in Las Vegas are asking a judge to put an end to what it claims is a coordinated union campaign of teacher absences during a bitter contract battle, forcing school closures and classroom disruptions in a state where it is illegal for public employees to strike.

Since Sept. 1, unexpected staff shortages have forced seven schools to cancel classes for the day and two others to combine classes, according to the Clark County School District, which includes Las Vegas. The district’s motion seeking an emergency court order said one of those schools had 87% of its teachers call out sick on the same day.

“The absentee level at the affected schools is unprecedented,” the motion said, “and these mass sickouts have left students, parents, staff, and administrators scrambling to ensure students’ wellbeing.”

The tense contract negotiations in the nation’s fifth-largest school district are unfolding at a time when labor unions across the country are challenging how workers are treated — from Hollywood’s ongoing writers strike and Detroit ‘s auto production lines to the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Las Vegas Strip.

A state judge is scheduled to consider the Clark County School District’s request Wednesday morning, although it wasn’t immediately clear if a ruling would be issued from the bench or at a later date.

The Clark County Education Association — which represents about 18,000 licensed educators — has denied that it is behind the recent wave of absences. The union said in a statement it would “make its position clear in court” on Wednesday.

In addition to being one of the largest school districts in the U.S., with about 295,000 students, the Clark County School District is the largest in Nevada. It is facing more than 1,100 teacher vacancies.

The education association, however, says vacancies are almost double that if you factor in the open positions that substitute teachers are currently filling.

Contract negotiations have been underway since March over topics such as pay, benefits and working conditions.

Negotiations resumed this week, but ahead of Wednesday’s hearing, the school district announced it had declared an impasse with the teachers union, saying arbitration was now “the only way” to resolve the ongoing fight after 11 unsuccessful bargaining sessions. It called the union’s demands “unaffordable” and “budget-busting.”

Union leaders said they welcome “a third set of eyes” to look over a new contract during arbitration, while also expressing frustration over what they say will likely be a lengthy process before an agreement is reached.

The union is seeking 18% across-the-board pay raises over two years. It also wants additional compensation for special education teachers and teachers in high-vacancy, typically low-income schools, as well as an increased pay rate for teachers working extended-day hours at certain campuses.

The district said its final offer before declaring an impasse included a 9% salary increase during the first year of a new contract, a new pay scale that it says emphasizes college education and years of experience, and other incentives for special education teachers and hard-to-fill positions.

In recent months, negotiations have grown increasingly tense, particularly after the union gave the school district a deadline to reach a contract before the start of the 2023-24 school year.

In Nevada, it is illegal for public employees to strike. But the union had said they would consider taking what they called “work actions” if their deadline wasn’t met, including teachers refusing to work more hours than their contracted work day.

“It is simply not believable that Defendants would threaten targeted work actions for months and have no involvement when those work actions come to pass through their own members’ conduct,” the school district said in its motion.

Meanwhile, thousands of students have already been affected by the wave of teacher absences.

Andrea Brai, whose son was diagnosed with autism, told KVVU-TV last Friday that students’ needs shouldn’t fall by the wayside amid the contract disputes. According to the district, 72% of licensed staff members at Sewell Elementary, where Brai’s son is a student, called in sick that day.

“When you become a teacher,” she said, “you should go into this profession with that in mind.”