Every day across the city of Chesapeake, thousands of teachers are feeling unnecessary pressure to clock in and out on Kronos when we arrive at work and when we leave (often times HOURS after our contracted day has ended). Yet, it doesn't affect our paychecks. Many of us are told constantly that if we don't do this, then our personal days or sick leave may be affected. None of this makes sense, and ALL of this causes added stress and anxiety... which is the last thing any of us needs! This is simply another inefficient waste of time. 

As licensed, certified professionals, many of whom have post-graduate college degrees, we are offered 10-month contracts. Yet, we have to clock in and out on Kronos every day as if we are being paid by the hour, causing  increased distress. This expectation is over-the-top and makes many of us feel micro-managed. This is not to mention the resentment many of us feel from this daily reminder that we are not paid for the countless hours we often work beyond our contracted time.

Administration will assert that it's a security measure to ensure they know who is "in the building" in case of an emergency. Again, this makes zero sense. It's highly unlikely that the first thing at the forefront of any administrator's mind during any emergency is "Did I check Kronos to see who's here??" Furthermore, can you think of any teacher that doesn't feel responsible for ensuring the best education for their students? And let's be real... none of us is likely to ghost our students... and if we do, we don't plan on returning. It is highly probable that all of us that take our jobs and students seriously and would never put either in jeopardy. That being said... if we haven't already arranged for time off or alerted our admin of an emergency, then we are at work... in. our. buildings. We don't need to clock in to let you know we are there. 

We can all agree that there should be a system for managing planned time off and medical/personal emergencies... and we have that system, although it also needs improvement... (as we have to record time-off requests in two locations). We are asking that CPS eliminate the requirement for contracted teachers to clock in and out, while maintaining an efficient system for managing teachers' time-off requests. 

Technology should be a tool to make our jobs more efficient, not more complicated. So please help make this happen!