BRYANTOWN, Md. – In September 2020, Katelyn Hawkins landed her dream job, as a first-grade teacher at her alma mater, St. Mary’s Bryantown Catholic School. Hawkins discovered she was expecting a baby three years later and gave birth May 30th, 2023; a week before summer vacation. As a result, she started her maternity leave after summer break and returned to teaching January 1st, 2024.
This was Hawkins first child and she was determined to provide breastmilk for the first year due to finances and its health benefits. Prior to returning to work, Hawkins reached out to the principal and advised her she would need to step out of the classroom twice a day for 30 minutes in order to pump breastmilk for her daughter. She was shocked when she was told it was an unreasonable request and would not be accommodated. However, federal law states; “Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), most nursing employees have the right to reasonable break time and a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view to express breast milk while at work. This right is available for up to one year after the child’s birth.”
Hawkins was confronted with a tough choice; abide by the schedule the principal created for her and take a lower paying position at the school as indicated by the principal, or leave the school. After numerous phone calls and emails, Hawkins was left with no choice but to do what was best for her daughter. She took the demotion from Teacher to Aide, which also came with a drastic pay cut. Hawkins was disappointed and confused by what she saw as discrimination and illegal treatment.
Hawkins was the 5th teacher to become pregnant at the school within the past five years. However, none of the other teachers were demoted or refused accommodation to breastfeed. Furthermore, Hawkins alleges the environment became toxic. Other employees appeared “on edge” around her and she was ignored. As a result, she sought employment with St. Mary’s Public Schools and joined their team in March 2024, where she was warmly welcomed and accommodated to continue breastfeeding her daughter.
A colleague and friend provided a statement but requested to remain anonymous.
“I completely support Katelyn and her claims against her mistreatment. She was given ultimatums about choosing between her classroom teacher position and the pump times she needed as a new mother. The principal, Catherine Silverstone, initially gave her a set of pump times and if those weren’t good enough, she would have to be demoted from classroom teacher to classroom aide. The times given were not possible for a new mother and were spread too far out in the day. Katelyn took the demotion after trying to fight it, and was then treated poorly by Catherine, and often felt like she couldn’t go pump because it inconvenienced Catherine and others.”
We reached out to St. Mary’s Bryantown for a statement. They advised they were unable to comment since this was an ongoing legal matter.
Hawkins wishes to make her ordeal public in order for other woman to be aware of their rights. She hopes her story can help someone else.
Baynet will continue to follow this story.
Contact our news desk at news@thebaynet.com
About what I would expect from the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Faith is more than a few individuals. The Church is not involved in this matter it would seem. Or perhaps some things have not been shared as to how the Catholic Schools office is responding to issue.
Just another example of “ have those babies, but we are not helping you after they’re here!” Good teachers are getting harder and harder to come by, how about we accommodate them. Male teachers don’t have these road blocks , to me , just another denigration of female employees. When will this stop? VOTE !
Uhhm… it’s a parochial school, not public school. Unless you plan on joining their parish, and becoming part of their council.
You’re not voting hard enough. Vote harder.
Evil treatments in Jesus’s name. Great job St. Mary’s Bryantown Catholic School!
While the story does happen in a Catholic School, nothing was said to be done in the name of Jesus. We are all human, and we all have our wrongs. If one is truly of faith, one might recall Jesus warns us about judging and condemning others for that is the role of God alone.
Two sides to every story. Please keep that in mind.
Well, we’re waiting…
Lmao no, this has to do with both the Catholic Church and the school not caring about their people or their needs. I’m so glad she was able to get away from that situation and find a place that is going to be more beneficial for her and her NEW family.
Yup, why would dey treat the others find but not her? She be acting a fool round there I’d bet.
What are you one of the ones who demoted her?
While there may be two sides to every story, that doesn’t mean both are equally valid… some sides are simply wrong (probably the school in this instance, yeah?), and it’s important not to confuse perspective with truth.
You are making a good point about one side having more weight, but if we are not in the room when these discussions are said, can we take the information as anything more than hearsay. Not to dismiss the claim, but perhaps we need more information that we are not entitled to know yet. Because of Legal matters, the school does not have an equal and fair opportunity to reply. Before we ourselves rush to judgement and condemnation of a school, we might first reason and see that the information is incomplete and very one sided. Give this time for things to playout and more information gets shared.
Waiting for the school’s desperate attempt to justify being wrong…
Agreed
Once again people abusing power they shouldn’t even have, and why some old nasty mean lady would even do this to other female reaks of this old school good old boy system that is dying. I am glad to see stories like this come out and be made public.
So quick to judge without knowing all of the facts. Don’t believe everything that you read!
Maybe that mean old lady believes in equal rights and holds the mother who wants hour long breaks to the same standard men have to follow at work.
Hire men, problem solved
The school didn’t comment due to it “being a legal matter”. It doesn’t take much to confuse me, but I didn’t see anything in the article that this issue is a matter in the courts. What type of legal matter?
Sounds like a lawsuit. Sounds like it’s time to bury that school financially. Just don’t sign your kids up. You’d think Catholic school would be more lax and accommodating to something like raising your child. You know since they are against abortion and all. Screw that school. Don’t enroll your kids there.
Outrageous she’s just trying to provide for her family.
As are the other staff members who now have to make up for her hour long breaks.
From the U.S. Department of Labor: “Employers with fewer than 50 employees are not subject to the FLSA break time and space requirements if compliance with the provision would impose an undue hardship. Whether compliance would be an undue hardship is determined by looking at the difficulty or expense of compliance for a specific employer in comparison to the size, financial resources, nature, and structure of the employer’s business.” St. Mary’s Bryantown has less than 50 employees.
They were probably angry because the priest wanted to help her and wasn’t allowed
They want to force you to have babies but don’t want you to take care of them. Congratulations to St. Mary’s County Public Schools.
Nobody is forcing anyone to get pregnant
I’d rather not take sides here, but this story should also go to the local newspaper in the form of a letter to the editor, if they haven’t already contacted the school/ her for the story
can’t it wait, I’m reading a good story
This is not about the school., but about Catholics in general. As a society, since the 1960s, we have drastically cut our family size from 5+ kids per family, to 1 – 2. To the point, that everyone has taken the hint to have only 1 or 2 kids and large familys are the exception to the rule. The Catholic church used to be a place you could go to find large family after large family after large family, and now rare. Its nice when the large familys grow up without the birth control abortion mentality. Its too bad as a society we have taken the hint to have only 1 or 2 kids, since the Catholic churches rule still is no abortion/ no birth control.
No mention on whether shes a single mother or not, no mention on whether she went ahead + had a kid on her own after giving up on getting married.
This matters how?
Just because you are a private school does not make you above federal laws. It’s comical that the school won’t address this issue due to “legal” concerns yet she can. I’m sure they are trying to consult their lawyers to know how they will address this before they speak out.
She is about to make bank!
why should she get paid the same as a man?
So she wants 1hr a day to extract milk x 5 days a week in a private room with a couch… for how long? She’s almost getting a full day off work every week for months to do this. Does she get paid for this? Why can’t she do this before and after work or during her lunch time? Seems unfair to everyone else
Why can’t she pay her for doing something natural and necessary but pay other employees for their countless smoke breaks? Be real.
Look all I have to say. Woman wants the same rights Men have?
Men don’t get any special treatments so no woman do this on your time not the Schools time. You are at your job for 8 hours a day. Do your job. Your a teacher your not teaching all 8 hours do it on your time.
I wonder why the babys not named? Heres the circumstances you come into the world under, which is not the same as it was 100 years ago: 1st you survive your parents using birth control (they didn’t want you, so they used birth control in order not to have you), then you survive your mom’s decision to keep you (instead of ending the pregnancy). my things have changed for babys! To get here, you’ve already survived 2 decisions. Smiling Margaret Sanger
Yay… can’t wait to send my kids here…
We all stand with you, keep up the good work 😉
This matters how?