School superintendent docks teacher's pay after she took 1 day off to get married before a 3 day weekend: 'My principal didn't care and approved my PTO'

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Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Nov 30, 2025 8:00 AM EST

She didn't even have a whole honeymoon. She only took one extra day off!

PTO can be such a contentious issue in already contentious workplaces. If your company is functioning well, an employee should be able to take off any days of the year they please with the paid time off they've earned. If they've earned a 2-week vacation and take said 2-week vacation, the company should not be in utter disarray and on the verge of declaring bankruptcy by the time that employee returns. If that's the case, they do not have enough employees, plain and simple. 

There are times when companies restrict PTO, and that's understandable depending on the circumstances. You can't have your entire team, or even any of your team, take off during the busiest season of the year, given your business has a "busiest season of the year." Most companies have a busy season and a not-so-busy season, so hypothetically, it shouldn't be a problem if multiple team members take off during the time of year when absolutely nothing is going on, and they can easily catch up on their work 

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  • A woman standing in front of a chalk board
    via Kateryna Hliznitsova (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Some companies want to control their employees' lives so much that they don't allow them to take time off before or after a holiday. That was the case for this teacher, who decided to get married the Friday before Veterans Day weekend. Even though her principal initially approved her PTO, the school district superintendent threatened to dock her pay for not working on the most important day of her life. 

  • They threatened to dock my pay because I got married

    I got married last Friday 11/8. We picked that date because it was done at a courthouse and it was the only week day my husband could take off. We planned this back in August and I already requested the PTO day with my principal and he didn't care and approved it.
    via u/mundanehistorian_28
  • A man sitting at a table with papers in front of him
    via Nem Malosi

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I get a letter today from the superintendent saying my pay would be docked because I didn't get HER approval to take a day off before a "break" (...it was a three day weekend) and I was violating my contract. She said I needed to give her a "good enough reason".
    via u/mundanehistorian_28
  • I already get paid next to nothing here and I was so angry when I read it my students asked me if I was okay (my face had to be so red). I emailed her back saying it was my only choice, didn't mention I was getting married to get on my husband's insurance because the school's sucks.
    via u/mundanehistorian_28
  • Health life insurance application form concept
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
     

  • She said she woud "make an exception and that would suffice" but threatened my pay would be docked if I did it again.
    via u/mundanehistorian_28
  • How dare they? I was getting married. It was a condition when I got hired I would need that day off. My previous jobs all you needed to do was get principal approval. I didn't have time to read the handbook over with a magnify glass, I also have to teach!!!
    via u/mundanehistorian_28
  • Okay. Rant over and believe me I will be applying for better jobs next year. But I am starting to doubt those exist.
    via u/mundanehistorian_28
  • ArcticGlacier40 Talk to your union rep if that's an option. If not, labor board maybe? I'm pretty sure it's illegal in any profession to dock someone's pay for taking a day off, especially if it was already approved. Also was it clearly written in policy that anyone needing a day off needs to get approval from the super superintendent? That seems so bizarre, why does it not just stay with the principal?
    via u/ArcticGlacier40
  • OP mundanehistorian_28 I did and they said it was in the contract but in a different section from where I looked. I also asked why didn't my mentor have to get approval to go to the Bahamas the day after break which is also in the contract? Oh right because she's buddies with the SI. Luckily my union rep told me because the principal approved it and no one else told me otherwise I'm covered.
    via u/mundanehistorian_28
  • Tiger_Reed I always just call the morning of and say I'm either sick, have an emergency, or something because of things like this. Like, I'm providing you a date ahead of time as a courtesy, I don't HAVE to do it... So, I no longer do. I havent had any issues since.
    via u/Tiger_Reed
  • OP mundanehistorian_28 Good call imma do this from now on!!
    via u/mundanehistorian_28
  • Tiger_Reed Yep, every unit I always have extra practice, study guides, activities, worksheets, and/or videos or movies with accompanying questions printed & ready to go for these "emergency, absolutely not pre-planned sick days." My sub binder has the same exact routine laid out for any of my sick/pto days so I never have to make adjustments, and the activities are labeled accordingly so it aligns with the basic sub plan structure. So it even helps when it really is an emergency!
    via u/Tiger_Reed
  • OP mundanehistorian_28 I have one of those too! I'm a first year teacher (but I've been subbing for 2+ years, student taught, and taught summer school at arguable the toughest district in the county) but already have it planned. I'm also teaching a subject I'm not certified in because they gave the job I wanted to someone they knew. So I'm working double to teach Spanish instead of my usual social studies. I'm like yall can you not give me such a hard time? I also have chronic illnesses so who k
    via u/mundanehistorian_28
  • Rich_Celebration477 Your admin has TIME to do this. How little must they be doing if emailing you to hassle is a priority
    via u/Rich_Celebration477
  • OP mundanehistorian_28 My thoughts exactly......like how do you care this much when there are 5 fights a day
    via u/mundanehistorian_28
  • MsFoxtrot It's probably in your contract. We have a pretty strong union and also have stipulations in our contract that we can't use personal days to extend a break or to skip PD. If you have the same and you did it anyways then yeah it sucks but you broke contract. I always advise people who have to be out those days to wait and put it in as a sick day (our district doesn't require a doctor's note for a sick day attached to a break or for a PD day).
    via u/MsFoxtrot
  • OP mundanehistorian_28 I couldn't move my wedding that was the problem. I had to have it done within a specific window of time to get on his health insurance to see a specialist in December and it was that or it wouldn't happen. I asked my principal and mentor too and they didn't tell me either. I will be more careful next time but that is ridiculous.
    via u/mundanehistorian_28
  • [deleted] It totally makes sense that you felt upset about the framing of how this policy was brought to you (I have a personal gripe with bad news being delivered right before I teach etc), but now that it's over I'd suggest taking a breath and re-evaluating... You broke contract, but for a super understandable (and exciting -- congrats!) reason. Once you explained why you broke the contract, the absence was excused. Annoying, but seems like things worked out as they should have.
    via u/[deleted]
  • OP mundanehistorian_28 It would be more understandable if they haven't been jackasses all year so far.
    via u/mundanehistorian_28
  • Rich_Celebration477 Their bosses don't care about that. Once you get to the next level up it's literally all clerical bullshit that pays 6 figures. And I bet you trying to take a day off like that was noticed by them and of course that's the sort of thing you have to send down the chain. It's absurd. These are the same people who waste 10s of thousands of dollars on stupid software and pointless PD.
    via u/Rich_Celebration477
  • OP mundanehistorian_28 Yep. Even when the fights cause damage to school and city property and the cops were called they don't care.
    via u/mundanehistorian_28
  • flowerofhighrank Are you at a charter? I'm sorry this happened to you, but crappy pay and two-faced management?
    via u/flowerofhighrank
  • OP mundanehistorian_28 No, a regular old public middle school. Unfortunately it was this or sub. There weren't a ton of social studies jobs in my area this year. Next year looks a lot better so hopefully with a year of teaching under my belt I can get a better job.
    via u/mundanehistorian_28
  • CalmSignificance639 Not illegal unfortunately. Many unions, mine included, have a clause about not taking days off before a holiday unless sick.
    via u/CalmSignificance639
  • Less_Physics_689 Reminds me of a time when I was in college and I told the teacher that I would be absent next week because I was getting married. Her exact words were "you will find little sympathy from me."
    via u/Less_Physics_689

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workplace-stories toxic-workplace honeymoon work teachers reddit story teacher wedding PTO workplace reddit thread Reddit weddings paid time off toxic-work-environment
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