IS TEACHER'S UNION VIOLATING DISTRICT POLICY?

Among the items approved by the Board of Education on Monday was the first reading of the outside activities policy for teachers, which is essentially a renewal of the current policy with some small wording changes.

One element of this indicates teachers cannot promote collective bargaining issues within the presences of students:

 Teaching staff members shall not promote a position of a collective bargaining issue or political issue while in the presence of students when on school premises or during school sponsored events or activities.

This would seem to prohibit some practices of the South Orange Maplewood Education Association, which have included wearing T-shirts promoting the union during contract talks and handing out promotional items, as well as other times during school events, which have included those at Maplewood Middle School.