School Shootings Seldom Addressed in Teacher Union Contracts

Teacher unions generally haven’t fought for specific provisions in union contracts that address active shooters in school.

The reason? It isn’t necessary, they say.

The union contract for teachers in Broward County, Fla., the scene of the most recent mass-casualty school attack, doesn’t have specific language addressing active shooter situations.

That’s not unusual, according to Bloomberg Law data. Only five out of 7,700 contracts across all industries analyzed by Bloomberg Law contain language about an “active shooter.”

Those contracts also don’t include a breakdown of benefits available to teachers after a campus crisis. Unions negotiate broad language covering school safety ...