Long story short, being a 7th grade social studies teacher has made me suicidal. My mental health problems are directly caused by work stress, and I do have documentation for it (I was hospitalized). I informed my principal that I would most likely be resigning, and he sent me to speak with HR. What I was told was that I could not take a leave of absence (I haven’t been employed for 12 months, this is my first year teaching) and that the school board had passed a No Good Cause act. What that means is that if I resign, I will get sanctioned for contract abandonment. The other side to this is that I’m in an alternative certification program, and they told me they wouldn’t ever work with me again if I resigned. So, even if I am found to have good cause, I won’t ever be able to teach again – not that I really want to.
I still want to know my rights, though. Does anyone know if citing mental health issues as my reason for resignation will be deemed good cause?