State Sen. Erica Smith (D-Northampton), who represented Tyrrell County until the most recent redistricting, announced her support last week for House Bill 563.

“This bill proposes granting a 30-minute “duty-free” lunch to all full time classroom teachers employed by public schools or schools receiving State funds,” Sen. Smith explained. “Many teachers throughout North Carolina have expressed their dissatisfaction with the current teacher breaks that they receive; some teachers have expressed receiving little to no lunch breaks.

If it passes, the new law would become effective in the 2019-2020 school year.

“As a former classroom teacher,” Sen. Smith stated, “I support this bill because I have experienced firsthand the health and nutritional challenges that teachers experience due to speed eating caused by lunch periods too short for adequate digestion. I also know the struggles of having to be on duty while supposedly being ‘on break.’

“Teachers are our lifeline to the younger generations, and we should treat them as the valuable resources they are by providing an adequate working schedule,” the senator concluded.