New Mexico teachers file lawsuit over sick leave policy

A lawsuit has been filed alleging New Mexico has a policy of penalizing public school teachers in their evaluations if they take more than six days of sick time over the course of the school year, even if their contracts allow for more.

The Albuquerque Journal reports the lawsuit was filed March 30 on behalf of Logan Municipal Schools teacher Angela Medrow and seeks class-action status.

New Mexico Public Education Department Secretary Hanna Skandera announced earlier this month that teachers will be able to take six sick days before it impacts the attendance portion of their evaluations.

The lawsuit claims sick leave is private property that can’t be taken without just compensation. It seeks an injunction to stop the department from considering sick leave in teacher evaluations.

Skandera says the department is reviewing the lawsuit.