My coworkers and I worked closely with our union to correct a 2020 law passed in Maryland. The law provided hazard pay for staff working in Forensic Admission facilities. My school is one of the few facilities in Maryland that meets this criteria and many client facing staff received a significant pay increase to help hire and retain critical staff. Unfortunately, State Teachers were left off the list of staff to receive this increase.  This was particularly frustrating for education staff because many of our coworkers on the residential side can only be alone with up to 3 clients at a time. State Teachers are frequently teaching alone with up to 8 or 9 clients at a time. Despite the increased risk, we were never granted the pay increase. It took four years of dedicated work to get this law updated. As a result of this work, I was highlighted by the American Federation of Teachers and given the opportunity to tell our story via an article in Medium.