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Teachers Busted for Calling In Sick, Then Posting Vacation Photos on Facebook
Filed under: In The News
Some New York City teachers got schooled for taking unauthorized vacations. Credit: Getty Images
More than a dozen New York City teachers have been disciplined for abusing their sick days -- calling in with the sniffles only to take a mental health day or two -- and then posting photos of their escapades online.
The New York Daily News reports that at least 13 teachers, classroom aides and school cooks were busted for skipping school to go on European honeymoons, Caribbean cruises and other sun-drenched holidays, in violation of state Department of Education rules.
Not only did they call in sick to go on vacation, some of them also posted photographs of their exploits on Facebook, tipping off investigators. All the employees had notes from their doctors, but the photographic evidence did them in. And the tans didn't help, either.
Robert Nappo, 55, teaches and coaches at Susan Wagner High School on Staten Island. His crime? A 2008 honeymoon in Aruba with his wife, Cindy, a teacher at Carnarsie High School in Brooklyn. The two were fined $7,500 each when officials discovered they both used five sick days and three unapproved personal days for their trip.
Then there's 38-year-old assistant school cook Mary Marconi, who resigned after it was discovered that she used seven sick days for a 2009 island cruise. Her braided hair and tan gave her away -- and so did her Facebook photos.
"My doctor had told me that he wanted me to take a week off from work because I was stressed," Marconi tells the Daily News. "I understand I did something wrong without realizing it, but I'm sure they could have gone about it another way without making me lose my job."
Teachers and paraprofessionals in New York City get summers and school vacations off, and are entitled to 10 sick days each year. With permission, they can convert three sick days into personal days. School aides get an hour of sick time for every 20 hours they work.
State officials warn educators that students aren't the only ones who can get into trouble for playing hooky.
"Sick days are for when a person is sick, period," DOE spokeswoman Ann Forte tells the Daily News. "If teachers or staff are found to be abusing the policy to take a vacation, we will take action."
Related: 'Snobby' Parents Don't Care for Teacher's Facebook Post, Have Her Deleted
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
8-23-2010 @ 3:55PM
Beth said...Why were they in trouble for taking time off? This is nuts!!! As teachers are expected to perform miracles with kids, have all kids be at 100% profeciency by 2012, and get paid barely a living wage, and if they do anything wrong and they get caught in their free time, end up getting fired? As apposed to our nations sports teams whos players get paid a sickening amount of money, and are not responsiple for the children of this great nation, but get slapped on the hand when they are caught doing things a role model should not be doing while our school systems are suffering. What do we expect of our teachers? What are they supposed to do when they need a break, call in dead, burnt out, or over the edge? Give them a break, they are human and underappreciated in our society.
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8-23-2010 @ 4:29PM
tracey said...Usually when I have to take sick time the last thing I want to do is go on a vacation. Burnt our or not if you are sick , you are sick. Not everyone has the luxury of sick time. I take sick time, I lose pay it's pretty simple. Why would a person abuse such a luxury, to be able to stay home in bed when sick and still get pay? The last person who commented obviously is a teacher and to me teachers are just people who couldn't make it in the real world so they stay in schools.
8-24-2010 @ 8:37AM
ginger said...They weren't merely "taking time off--" rather they abused their SICK DAYS to take vacations. Sick days are for when you are sick. Period. Many people abuse them, but to do so and then post photos in a public forum, well, that is just plain old dumb.
8-23-2010 @ 6:47PM
bill said...Yeah right they'll take action. Like what? Under oppressive uionized rules they can't be fired. Put them in the rubber room? They sit there and collect salary and don't work or teach while another teacher is hired to take their places
Reply
8-23-2010 @ 8:04PM
MemoriesGrow said...I find it funny and sad how some folks think that Facebook and other social networks are "private." Clearly if you are doing something you are not supposed to be doing (cheating on your spouse, abusing your employer's "sick" policy, falsely claiming workers comp, etc.), you should not be posting photos or commenting on Facebook.
It's not a matter of under-appreciating teachers, it's a matter of these specific cases where employees (who happen to be teachers) are breaking the rules of their employers.
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