Labor Dept. fines Md. school system millions

WASHINGTON — The public school system in Maryland’s Prince George’s County has been ordered to pay a total of $4 million to more than 1,000 foreign teachers working there after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor.

The teachers, the vast majority of them from the Philippines, were hired under a visa program for foreign workers, but the Department of Labor found the teachers were illegally required to pay fees that should have been paid by their employer. The department ordered the school system to repay the teachers $4.2 million in fees and fined the school system $1.7 million for its conduct.

The school system has 15 days to pay the money or appeal.