Just In Case
Author: ieaesp
I am a proud education support professional and pro-education advocate!
It doesn’t matter what state you live in….truth!
TAKE ACTION – SAFE SCHOOLS FOR ALL
Every child deserves to be safe at school. We need to make sure we are providing a safe working and learning environment for all of our education staff members and our students.
Demand Illinois Lawmakers Provide Safe Schools for All
We need your help! We’re calling on the Illinois state legislature to get to work and pass valuable COVID-19 measures to protect our students and our schools.
NEA ESP Conference: Our Democracy, Our Responsibility, Our Time!
The 2021 NEA Education Support Professional (ESP) National Conference will take place virtually on March 19-21, followed by the NEA ESP of the Year award celebration on Friday, March 26. The NEA ESP National Conference is the premier professional development opportunity for ESPs across the nation.
This year’s conference will offer up to 30 live and 15 on-demand professional learning opportunities over the course of three days. In addition, participants will have multiple opportunities to network and share best practices and strategies with their peers.
The conference is offered to NEA members only. Registration will open in February 2021 and will be free of charge. Because there is no cost to participate in the conference, state affiliates will not need to submit state-nominees to attend this year. Registration will be capped at 2,000 participants and will be confirmed on a first come, first served basis.
Workshop proposals are now being accepted. To submit a workshop for consideration, presenters must complete the Presenter Response Form, in its entirety, no later than Tuesday, December 22, 2020. Workshop selections for this year’s conference will be considered for both live and pre-recorded sessions. All workshop sessions will be 75 minutes in length and will be held on the afternoons of Saturday, March 20 and Sunday, March 21.
Information about the NEA ESP Conference can be found at www.nea.org/espconference. If you need additional assistance, please contact Lisa Connor (LConnor@nea.org) or Jessica Brinkley (JDBrinkley@nea.org).
Could you use a grant to help your students or community?
Jan. 18 is the application deadline for IEA SCORE Grants. All IEA members are encouraged to apply. Grants for up to $1,000 are available for IEA members and their local associations to collaborate and create opportunities for community service or school projects.
Please note: The selection rubric used to review applications has been updated to provide the following incentives: project proposals by member pairs that include an early career member, application ideas related to the challenges resulting from COVID-19 and/or social justice. The advisory group has recommended funding in the past for member pairs and trios that demonstrate collaboration between veteran and early career members. Educators with more than 10 years of membership are able to apply with, or without, a partner. You can visit this page, scroll down a bit and find a list of previous projects for ideas.
ESP Webinar Dec. 17
NEA’s next ESP webinar, Institutional Racism and Policing: Impact on ESPs, has been rescheduled to Thursday, Dec. 17 from 7 to 8:15 PM EST. This webinar will highlight how institutional racism is embedded in policing, and how it impacts the experiences of education support professionals (ESPs), especially those of color, as they work to create safer learning environments for all students. We will examine institutional racism at the macro, meso, then micro level, and explore possible solutions with a panel of ESP members.
Find out more and register now!
![ECE_Para-Teacher Team Webinar_final[1]](https://ieaespcouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image.png?w=382)
ESPs are struggling! We need someone to throw us a lifeline.
NEA ESP National Conference-Virtual
Education Support Professionals: Our Democracy,
Our Responsibility, Our Time!
The 2021 NEA Education Support Professional (ESP) National Conference will take place virtually on March 19-21, followed by the NEA ESP of the Year award celebration on Friday, March 26. The NEA ESP National Conference is the premier professional development opportunity for ESPs across the nation.
This year’s conference will offer up to 30 live and 15 on-demand professional learning opportunities over the course of three days. In addition, participants will have multiple opportunities to network and share best practices and strategies with their peers.
The conference is offered to NEA members only. Registration will open in February 2021 and will be free of charge. Because there is no cost to participate in the conference, state affiliates will not need to submit state-nominees to attend this year. Registration will be capped at 2,000 participants and will be confirmed on a first come, first served basis.
Workshop proposals are now being accepted. To submit a workshop for consideration, presenters must complete the Presenter Response Form, in its entirety, no later than Tuesday, December 22, 2020. Workshop selections for this year’s conference will be considered for both live and pre-recorded sessions. All workshop sessions will be 75 minutes in length and will be held on the afternoons of Saturday, March 20 and Sunday, March 21.
Information about the NEA ESP Conference can be found at www.nea.org/espconference. If you need additional assistance, please contact Lisa Connor (LConnor@nea.org) or Jessica Brinkley (JDBrinkley@nea.org).
Call to Action
| We are asking Illinois education employees to come together in support of one another and TAKE ACTION for our students and schools. We’re calling on Illinois lawmakers to pass measures that do five things on behalf of Illinois educators and students:Establish clear metrics, so districts know when to switch to remote learning to keep students and staff safe.Enforce guidance and requirements put forth by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and heed the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).Provide rapid COVID-19 testing in schools so infected students and staff can be identified before they spread the virus.Urge the prioritization of education workers in the vaccine schedule.If the Federal CARES Act isn’t renewed, the state needs to step in, so education workers are not forced to work while ill. |
| Doing these things will allow schools to stay open. It will help Illinois’ economy recover. The IEA has taken step after step to get enforcement of state safety standards. We’ve worked with state agencies. We’ve talked to the governor’s office. We’ve even assembled a panel of pediatricians to review district reopening plans to ensure they were safe. Now, we need your help to get Illinois lawmakers to do their job. If you work someplace where you feel safe, can you send an email to your lawmakers on behalf of fellow educators who work in situations where they don’t? If you work someplace where you don’t feel safe, please share this link with coworkers and with community members you think would be helpful to the cause. It’s been nearly nine months since Illinois started responding to the pandemic. Legislators have been in session for three of those days. It’s time for them to step up and help us. TAKE ACTION. And, ask your friends, families and neighbors to do the same. |
NEA is still fighting on the Hill to extend the FFCRA as well as obtain further COVID relief. There is a small bipartisan group of Senators meeting as we speak to try to get to a bill that can pass the Senate before they recess. If you can help us make one last push right NOW by sending notes to your Senators, we would really really appreciate it! https://educationvotes.nea.org/issue/covid-19/?kiosk=true#actions
Hear Author Jarrett Krosoczka Tell Us About His Inspiration For His Graphic Novel, Lunch Lady Series.
Author Jarrett J. Krosoczka tells of his inspiration of his beloved childrens graphic novel series, Lunch Ladies. I hope ALL ESPs realize what you do every day makes a huge difference in the lives or our students. Never underestimate yourself and what you do!
WE ARE ESP!! We Are Education Support Professional!!
IEA Education Support Professional Council 