TABCO, Teachers Association of Baltimore County

TABCO/ESPBC Annual Bus Trip to Annapolis

January 2012

The TABCO/ESPBC Government Relations Committee is inviting all members to meet with our Baltimore County Delegates and Senators in Annapolis. We'll depart Monday, February 27, 2012. We will provide transportation to and from Annapolis for our members. The bus(es) will be leaving promptly from Cromwell Bridge Park & Ride at 4:30 p.m. and the bus(es) will leave Security Boulevard Park & Ride at 5:00 p.m. Please be present 15 minutes before departure. There is no cost to members and a box dinner will be provided on the bus. Return bus(es) will pick up participants at 8:30 p.m.

Please RSVP to TABCO/ESPBC by February 13, 2012, by returning the attached form or by emailing Kim Melfa at kmelfa@mseanea.org or by calling TABCO at 410-828-6403 to confirm your attendance.

What Baltimore County Teachers Say About Teaching

January 2012

See what four dedicated Baltimore County teachers have to say about teaching in Maryland and Baltimore County http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTwnz-cZeuA

The teachers are Rosette Ladson, Deithra King, Emily Constantine, and Maryland Teacher of the Year Joshua Parker. In their brief stories, you’ll hear how they struggle to find materials for instruction and basic supplies for students, how special education and class size is suffering, and how cuts have impacted crucial reading and intervention programs.

SPARKS - What is it?

December 2011

Sparks is a program conducted by TABCO for members who have been teaching 1-5 years in Baltimore County. Approximately 15 eligible participants are invited to join us for an overnight in Annapolis. Before the training, participants choose the topics they want to know more about. TABCO leaders design the two days around the topics chosen by participants and plan lots of fun activities to do while in Annapolis.

What Does TABCO & MSEA Support?

September 1, 2011

MSEA supports:

Adequate public funding for public schools
Additional state funding to reduce class size
Funding for school construction and renovation
A voice in the workplace
Right to affordable health care
A fully funded pension plan
State efforts to improve the professionalization of teaching by backing National Board Certification
Good public policy
Strengthened child labor laws
Supporting student achievement
Legislative issues intended to create the best possible conditions for all children in support of both their development and education.
Legislation to protect the health and safety of students in their school environment, including efforts to eliminate bullying
Programs to enhance new technologies that promote student achievement

Educators Sued Over Bullying

May 17, 2011

You can be sued personally for money damages if you witness instances of bullying and harassment and fail to act.

By Michael D. Simpson, NEA Office of General Counsel

Most school employees are now well aware of the epidemic of bullying and harassment that continues to plague our nation’s public schools. Last year, at least six teenagers committed suicide as the direct result of being bullied at school. It’s called “bullycide” and it has to stop. It is a moral and legal imperative.

What every NEA member needs to know is that you can be sued personally for money damages if you witness instances of bullying and various types of harassment (based on race, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability) and fail to take action to address it or report it. While school districts have traditionally been the targets of these lawsuits, school employees, in increasing numbers, are also being named as defendants.

For example, NEA members in seven states (Washington, Kentucky, Ohio, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Alabama, and Michigan) have recently been sued for allegedly failing to act when they were aware of instances of bullying and harassment. In two lawsuits against NEA members in Kentucky, one involving a student suicide, NEA’s insurance carrier paid damages and expenses totaling $280,000 and $275,000 respectively.