Dear Dawg: I am proud to report that when the Chicago Cubs ended 108 years of suffering by winning the World Series for the first time since 1908, I was present.  My grandfather was a Cubs fan. He taught me to love the game. Taught me to keep score.  So I kept score of that extra-inning victory, and the next day, left that scoresheet on Granddad’s tombstone.  May he Rest in Peace, right alongside Ernie Banks.  Of course, I had to take some personal leave days to do this.

So imagine my shock when I get back to school and find that I’ve been written up for violating our personal leave policy!  There is another teacher down the hall from me who missed a couple of days that same week to go to a NASCAR event in Tennessee.  NASCAR!!  A bunch of rednecks drinking beer, waving Confederate flags and watching loud motor vehicles turn left!  I, on the other hand, was witnessing an iconic moment in the long history of our National Pastime.  I feel sure my rights have been violated, Dawg. Set ‘em straight!  CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN!! CUBS WIN!!!

DEAR CUBS WIN!:  We honor your devotion to baseball, your grandfather and the Cubs. But you got your facts wrong.  The school did not measure the relative merits of the World Series v. NASCAR. If they had, they would have violated the law. Teachers can take personal leave for personal reasons, and it’s improper for the school to distinguish between the “worthy” and the “unworthy.” For a recent illustration of this, see Houston v. Point Isabel ISD, Docket No. 014-R10-01-2016 (August 25, 2016).

No, my friend, it was a lot simpler than that.  As you stated, your fellow teacher took “a couple of days,” (i.e., two days).  You took three.  Your school’s policy allows teachers to take personal leave for any reason, but not for more than two days in a row. That’s a valid policy.  So to put this in terms you will understand, the official scorer is giving you the E on this play.  Take it like a man and consider….it’s a small price to pay to witness the end of more than a century of suffering.

DAWG BONE: LEAVE POLICIES CANNOT DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE “WORTHY” AND THE “UNWORTHY.”

 File this one under: LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT