The South Carolina Department of Education does not grant teachers a full year’s experience when going on FMLA without pay. We teacher moms already do not get paid during leave to take care of our newborns. On top of that, the SCDE denies us our full year of teaching experience even though we come back to work, affecting our salary increases and future retirement. I recently experienced this when I was only FOUR DAYS SHORT of the required days for gaining a full year of teaching experience because I didn’t have enough sick leave to cover my time on maternity leave. Now I will always be a year behind in experience on my certification despite my dedication to my field and my career. This is not right. Teachers who wish to have families and spend time with their newborns should not be penalized! Let’s fight this indecency and get the recognition we deserve.