School District Lost Keys

D

DC77

Member
Jurisdiction
Arizona
I work for a school district that still uses old fashioned metal keys and locks. I've been terribly sick, working on cold medicine, and just not thinking straight. On top of that, my keychain went and broke one day and I ended up carrying the keys in my pocket to get through the day. Somewhere in between my last kid and the next morning, I lost the keys. I've retraced my steps but I've been so blurry from medicine. I'm tearing everything apart and I'm just not finding them.

The superintendent has given me two weeks to find them or else I will have to pay several thousand dollars to rekey all the gates. I don't have the money. It's been a tough year, I had to move across country, I had to move in with my folks at middle age, and I'm just broke.

Can I do anything to fight this?
 
Get a metal detector?

Bring the issue before the school board - you cannot be the only on that has faced this.

If you are a union member, contact them.
 
Red Kayak said:
Get a metal detector?

Bring the issue before the school board - you cannot be the only on that has faced this.

If you are a union member, contact them.
Click to expand...
Thank you. I've been thinking the same and hearing the same sentiment. I can't be the only one that has lost keys. Maybe I'm the only one to report it... I've also had union mentioned a few times now. I've never had a unionized job before and am pretty naive. Need to look into it.

Also not sure if it matters, but I have a disability and suffer with migraines. I was staving off a migraine, in addition to having a cold, the day they were lost. Everything was going wrong that day.
 
Sorry, no, it doesn't matter. The law doesn't give you a pass on losing school property because of a migraine. But I don't think you're necessarily screwed, either.

Arizona is one of the few states that does permit an employee to deduct an employee's wages for losses or breakages. But the employer must be able to show that the employee was dishonest or willful. They also cannot deduct enough to take you below Federal minimum wage. I doubt that they can show that your losing the keys was done willfully. Give the Arizona Department of Labor a call and see what they say.

Mind you, I don't have a quarrel with your being disciplined for this. Migraine or not, medication or not, losing the keys is not acceptable. But the discipline shouldn't take the form of messing with your pay. That's not acceptable either.
 

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