Thank you to Justin, my son, for checking out the Overtime Rule from the Department of Labor and the President. He went online and found this statement about exemptions:
3. Q. Is there an exemption for schools and institutions of higher education from either the FLSA or the Department's overtime regulations governing white collar workers?
Schools and institutions of higher education are generally covered by the FLSA's minimum wage and overtime provisions. Several provisions apply, however, to many employees at these institutions that exempt them from the Final Rule. Teachers are exempt if their primary duty is teaching, tutoring, instructing or lecturing. "Teachers" include, for example, regular academic teachers, kindergarten or nursery school teachers, teachers of gifted or disabled children, professors, adjunct instructors, teachers of skilled and semi-skilled trades and occupations, home economics teachers, vocal or instrument music teachers, and under certain circumstances, athletic coaches and assistant coaches. Although a preschool may engage in some educational activities, preschool employees whose primary duty is to care for the physical needs of the facility's children would not meet the requirements for the exemption as a bona fide teacher. Generally, the Department views graduate and undergraduate students who are engaged in research under a faculty member's supervision in the course of obtaining a degree to be in an educational relationship and not an employment relationship with the school or with a grantor. As such, the Department will not assert such workers are entitled to overtime. In addition, the administrative personnel that help run higher education institutions and interact with students outside the classroom, such as department heads, academic counselors and advisors, intervention specialists and others with similar responsibilities are subject to a special salary threshold that does not apply to white-collar employees outside of higher education. Instead, they are not eligible for overtime if they are paid at least as much as the entrance salary for teachers at their institution. Finally, public universities or colleges that qualify as a "public agency" under the FLSA may compensate overtime-eligible employees through the use of compensatory time off in lieu of cash overtime premiums.
From this, I would conclude that we teachers needn't worry about restrictions on overtime. We've informed out accountant, who first made us aware of this law, and we are eagerly awaiting his confirmation that we are reading it correctly. I'll be very relieved if I was wrong because I was really worried that we would not be able to have any weekend competitions any more! My apologies to any teachers out there that I might have scared.
-Michelle