Pittsfield Teachers Get Bereavement Leave for Pregnancy Loss
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield Public Schools educators can now use bereavement pay for a loss of pregnancy or a stillborn child.
On Dec. 10, the School Committee approved a memorandum of agreement with the United Educators of Pittsfield that allows the use of paid bereavement time for staff who experience a miscarriage or stillbirth.
Teacher Emily Pink said educators had been denied the use of bereavement leave for pregnancy loss as a "qualifying loss," although the contract states that they are entitled to five days for the loss of an immediate family member, including children.
"I asked the School Committee to reconsider its interpretation of this language. A miscarriage is more than just a medical event. It is more than just physical pain. It is more than having to return to teaching while still bleeding from procedures or attending multiple medical appointments to deal with complications," Pink said at the Nov. 5 School Committee meeting.
"A miscarriage is a traumatic, emotional event. It carries immense grief, suffering, and fear. While experiencing intense physical pain, these teachers are also mourning the loss of the future they envisioned for that child. They are canceling baby showers and saying goodbye to the birthdays, memories, and adventures they had planned for that child they are grieving, a child they held inside them but will never meet, never hug, never kiss."
With the current interpretation of the policy, she said women are asked to come to school and act like nothing is wrong when their world is falling apart, taking care of students' emotional and physical needs while putting their own needs aside.
"The trauma of this loss is compounded when teachers are denied bereavement time for miscarriages," she said.
Pink said the policy has been used for pregnancy loss in the past, but it is currently being denied to other staff.
According to the UEP contract that runs from August 2024 to August 2027, teachers are entitled to five consecutive work days in the event of the death of an immediate family member. This includes parents, spouse, life partners/companions, children, in-laws, siblings, or a person for whom the teacher is responsible for making funeral arrangements.
The contract gives teachers 15 days of sick leave and two personal days. How missed days are coded in the system may not sound important to everyone, Pink explained, but multiple parts of a teacher's career, including retirement, depend on how many sick days they have taken.
"It seems cruel that a woman who has suffered a pregnancy loss should also have to be punished at work. Every teacher who has had a miscarriage would have rather been at work those days. They would rather have had a routine pregnancy," she said.
"They did not miss work because they are not dedicated teachers. They continue to come to work even when it's incredibly difficult because they are dedicated teachers. They come back to work in our schools year after year because they care about our students. It seems only fair that the district return the favor and show teachers the same compassion and empathy they expect us to give our students."
Chair William Cameron reported that this agreement has been reached with the UEP, which represents classroom teachers, guidance counselors, librarians, nurses, coaches, specialists, department heads, and other support staff.
Tags: Pittsfield Public Schools, pregnancy,
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