28% of Public School Teachers Chronically Absent, Why?
A new analysis by the Thomas P. Fordham Institute has found that more than 28% of public school teachers are chronically absent.
Chronically absent is considered missing work due to illness more than 10 times in a school year.
In the report titled "Teacher Absenteeism in Charter and Traditional Public Schools” they state:
The percentage of teachers in traditional public schools who take more than ten sick and personal days is almost four times higher than the percentage of employees in other industries who take at least ten sick days—despite the fact that teachers have significantly fewer work days than employees in other industries
These results begs the question why?
Why do public school teachers take almost 400% more sick days than employees in other industries? Also view this question in context with the fact, as the report stated, that “teachers have significantly fewer work days than employees in other industries”.
The report also found that approximately 10% of non-traditional public charter school teachers are chronically absent from work. That 10% number is quite a bit closer to the national average of 7.7% of workers who have access to paid sick leave.
They also found during their study that unionization did play a role in shaping absentee rates. Public school teachers at unionized charter schools were twice as likely as those in non-union institutions to miss quite a bit of work. Even with that fact both fell below rates at public schools. What is it with these public school teachers unions and absenteeism?
So I simply ask the question why?