Orange Schools Face Teacher Sickout

Teachers at several Orange Unified School District campuses are expected to call in sick today, officials said, to protest an impasse in contract negotiations.

Francis Roney, principal of Villa Park High School, said almost half of her faculty had called in sick by 9 p.m. Tuesday.

“It’s frustration over the lack of a contract,” said Roney, who was scrambling to line up substitutes for this morning.

“On one hand, I’m empathetic with the teachers and their position,” Roney said, “but on the other hand, I cannot sanction an activity that I believe puts students’ safety in jeopardy” if classroom supervision is inadequate.

An organized walkout would be an unsanctioned labor activity during the stalled contract negotiations, school board member Bill Lewis said. District officials are aware of teachers’ dissatisfaction, he said. “I knew that they were going to pull something,” he said.

The district has been plagued by dissent for years, and teachers have been working without a contract since March 1998. Points of contention are the salary scale and health benefits.

Orange Unified also has been rocked by controversy over trustees’ recent decision to forbid a gay-themed club at El Modena High School in Orange.

Former trustee James Fearns said Tuesday night that a job action by teachers would be indicative of the district’s woes.

“There are many problems that need to be addressed,” Fearns said. “This is just the beginning.”