If you were to walk into class at 6:45 in the morning, you would see a classroom with only a teacher in the corner preparing for the school day. With only a few minutes left before students arrive, teachers rush to prepare their lessons, ready the classroom, and complete their morning duties. On top of all that, now they have to clock-in.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) issued a new mandate over the summer that requires teachers to clock in at 6:45 a.m. using a Human Resources management app called Red Rover. Teacher either clock in on their phones or at a kiosk in the teachers lounge.
CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill said Red Rover is an app intended to rebuild the HR department and better manage teachers work hours and absences. However, in the attempt to modernize and simplify this process, it has instead caused a shared distress amongst teachers.
Daniel Burbles, a chemistry teacher at East Meck, said, “I definitely have the anxiety in the morning of making sure I clocked in. Teachers are pretty upset about it.”
Although red rover is simplifying the attendance process of teachers, it is becoming another step in the daunting list of teacher duties.
In the morning chaos, simple tasks are easy to forget. Adrian Sizeland, a teacher an East Meck, feels similar stress about remembering to clock in.
“My problem is you get so busy in the morning with stuff you’re doing, duties or a kid’s needs, you get so busy you don’t get a chance to clock in or you forget,” Sizeland said.
If Teachers don’t clock in, they are marked with an unexcused absence. This unexcused absence is a day without pay which can get deducted from your monthly paycheck. Routine forgetfulness can cause a significant payout. Teachers are often reminded with emails and messages ver the intercom to clock in, however if they were to stop, relying on teachers’ memory could cause paycheck deductions for many.
Currently CMS has mandated for teachers to clock-in, but not clock-out. A teacher’s contract hours are from 6:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. However, many stay after these hours to grade assignments or plan lessons. Teachers are also expected to be available for tutoring after school, outside of their lived hours. With the absence of a clock-out the many hours worked past their required time is not counted nor seen.
With the new mandate, students wonder if the same will happen to them. Apps similar to red rover have been used to track students’ timeliness as universities, and attendance. when students were asked their opinion on a student clock in, many questioned the rationale and why simple attendance wasn’t adequate. Teachers are riddled with the same question.
As salaried employees, teachers are not limited to work hours like hourly employees. Thy are intended to come in and do their ability, in whatever time that requires. The roles of Red rover was to better manage teacher attendance. But in reality it has added stress, anxiety, and another item on their never-ending to-do list.
