Your job tells you to get out of Jury Duty?

[HockeyMom]

My daughter just started working at a private Pre-School as a Kinder teacher. She got called for Jury Duty. When she told them, they told her to make excuses and get out of it. Isn't that illegal?

My daughter was told by the Director of the school that they do not hire subs. She asked what do you do when a teacher is out sick? The CLEANING LADY runs the class. Seriously? She asked the other teachers if that was true. They told her yes. This school requires a BA for all their teachers. The school charges $15,000 a year in tuition.

Use some of your profits, hire a teacher sub, and don't tell your staff to lie to get out of jury duty.

[BainsBane]

1. I don't believe that's legal

[Wait Wut]

2. It would be perjury.

Tell her to use the excuse that the director gave her. "My boss told me to make something up to get out of jury duty because they don't want the cleaning lady teaching the class, so my excuse is that the director is making a veiled threat to fire me if I don't get out of jury duty."

Your daughter needs to find a new job and the school either needs to fire the director or have their license revoked.

[Shrike47]

3. It's not legal. Sounds like she should keep job hunting.

[Just Saying]

4. They cannot tell her she can't serve.

And in some states they have to pay her while she's gone. They cannot punish or fire her for it either. She would be in contempt of court if she doesn't serve when called.

Now, she can try to get up of it but it's not always easy! I got out once because I was 8 months pregnant with a letter from my doctor.

The last time I was called, the form did include the ability to delay service to another date so perhaps she could try to move her service to a break time? But she is not obligated to do that.

[HockeyMom]

8. I know you can postpone it

She doesn't have any breaks. Not even a vacation until she has worked there for a year.

Yes, I did tell her. Find another job. I wouldn't work for a "school" like this, or send you there when you were little.

[Tien1985]

5. Totally not legal

But definitely not unheard of. Hope she can find something better, but for heaven's sake I hope she doesn't jepordize this one before she has something else lined up.

[closeupready]

6. So many levels of disgust I feel about your daughter's situation.

She deserves so much better, and so do the children at that school.

Our local TV news program has an occasional feature, "Shame On You", in which the host investigates local scams and scandals for a segment on the News At 11:00, and this strikes me as the kind of thing I would enjoy watching, and the host would likely want to see resolved.

[Silver Swan]

7. My mother was a teacher

When she was called to jury duty during the school year, she was able to get her jury duty postponed until summer.

This was a Federal jury in the sixth circuit. Other courts may not be so understanding.

[MrSlayer]

9. I intentionally get out of it if I'm working.

I'd love to serve on a jury but I just can't afford to take off for it. $9 a day doesn't cut it.

[MineralMan]

10. That's a delicate, but not unusual situation.

The Director of that school is wrong...very wrong. However, as a new hire, your daughter may get canned on short notice. If that's OK with her, she should report the Director of the school to the clerk of the court where she's been called to jury duty. She can explain what she was told by her employer and that she is in conflict over it, since she understands her duty to do jury duty.

The court will take care of the rest, if they have any guts at all. The school Director will be in trouble over this.

However, your daughter will still be likely to be fired. Not a good situation to be in.

An employer who threatens an employee over jury duty has committed a crime.