What is labor law compliance? Labor laws are important for anything work-related, and teaching is no different. Complying with labor law ensures professional teaching is done.
Teaching is an important aspect of state and nation-building, and most countries prioritize crafting laws that shape its process. Some of the specific areas labor laws govern in professional teaching are:
- Salary,
- Working Conditions,
- Appointment and Termination,
- Teachers’ Rights and Duties,
- Prohibition of Discrimination,
- Choosing Coursework, among others.
Duties of Teachers By Law
The first duty of a teacher is to provide education and learning materials for students. A teacher helps students gain knowledge and understand a course or subject. Several educational materials are needed for this endeavor. Research notes, online courses, recommended texts, exams, and assignments requiring a law essay writing service, and library work are a few of these. It is important to understand how to write a law essay to get maximum points and understanding, so students can use special services. Another duty of a teacher is to monitor the development of students in a subject. Afterward, a professor is to award grades that are commensurate with students’ understanding of the subject, often up to graduation.
Teachers also have duties to school organizations. First, professors must abide by school rules and regulations to achieve set goals. Professors are expected to follow the laid-out guidelines to enhance the learning process.
Hiring and Salary
In understanding what teacher salary is, an important question to ask is, “How does labor law define salary?” According to Federal labor law salary, it is the financial reimbursement given to an employee for performing a job. This salary could come hourly, weekly, monthly, or annually.
A teacher’s salary depends on the negotiation between the employee and the employer, and also on the functions of the employee. Federal minimum wage laws shape this negotiation to prevent any form of discrimination. Meanwhile, It is not uncommon for states to adopt these laws.
Determining the specific federal labor law salary for professors is difficult, as it depends on state laws. Thus, a uniform wage structure and minimum wage are not applicable in the educational sector. According to Forbes, the high school teacher’s average salary as of 2020 was $66,397.
For college and university teachers, the average salary for entry-level educators was $60,000, according to Bradley University. The average starting salary for professors as of the 2021/2022 session was only $42,845, which is low, and has contributed to teacher shortages. Hence, attempts are being made to increase the labor law minimum salary for professional professors.
Working Conditions and Termination of Appointment
Public educators are beneficiaries of certain rights that private educators may not enjoy. Employment and labor law are meant to create a positive working environment for professors. A positive working environment upholds job security and certain rights.
First, an employed teacher cannot be arbitrarily sacked by employers. Professors’ contracts are governed only by the conventional laws of contract, which include offer, consideration, etc. Still, there are some instances where professors could be dismissed arbitrarily but with evidence. Most laws guiding education are state-based. There is uniformity in some of these instances. They include:
- Negligence of duty
- Teacher incompetence
- Fraud
- Immoral conduct in giving lessons, conducting examinations, and generally performing duties
- Conviction of a crime and
- Violating the school’s laws
If at least one of these criteria is not met, employed teachers are entitled to retain their jobs.
Teachers are also expected by law to enjoy certain comforts in the discharge of their duties. The right to freedom from discrimination based on gender, race, or origin is valid for teachers as per Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Freedom from sexual harassment of teachers on school premises may also is found in Title IX of the Education Amendment (1972).
Pregnancy protection, age protection, and religious protection are also granted to professors, enabling a good working environment. The EPA (1963) influences wages by establishing equal pay in determining what is the annual salary of a teacher. At the same time, it denounces payment inequality based on gender. Severance pay is still being determined for teachers. The labor department stipulates that it is not a requirement for employment. It rather depends on the contract signed by the employer and employee. Thus, before a professor could claim entitlement to a severance package, the contract must have included it.
