Author: ieaesp

ESP Health And Safety As We Return to School

Guest Speaker from Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (ICAAP)

August 6th 6:30pm-8:00pm

You are invited to attend the IEA ESP Council’s second roundtable with special guest speaker from the ICAAP who will share health and safety guidelines and can answer some of your most pressing health and safety questions. Please join us as we learn, discover, and advocate for ESP throughout Illinois. Your ESP Council is here to support you during this trying time and beyond. If you have any questions or would like more information, please visit www.ieaespcouncil.com.

Register here: https://bit.ly/ESPRoundtable 

In Thursdays 4@4 episode, we answer your questions regarding whether a district can require member’s medical conditions be revealed; what to do if someone tests positive for Covid-19 in your school; whether a school board needs to approve the district back-to-school plan; and, if school custodians should be cleaning classrooms if someone in that space has tested positive.

Members can view the mentioned recordings of IEA’s sessions with Dr. Daniel Johnson, a pedriatric infectious disease expert, here: https://ieanea.org/coronavirus/

If you have a question that you’d like answered in a future 4@4 episode, please drop it in the comments below.

As we prepare for the new school year, please submit a response to our back-to-school survey: https://ieanea.org/forms/covid-19-back-to-school-survey/

If you have specific questions about your school district’s back-to-school plan, we encourage you to reach out to your assigned IEA UniServ Director and local president. If you need help identifying who that is, please reach out to us via IEA Connect.

Students cannot be whole, unless our educators are whole. ❤️

Join us + Dr. Chris Cipriano from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence for a webinar to discuss social and emotional learning strategies to support ESPs in navigating the challenging emotions of these rapidly evolving times.

Register now 👉 https://bit.ly/ESPSEL

Note: Once you register, we’ll encourage you to fill out a quick survey from Yale that will help inform the webinar.

“ESPs are the first line of defense,” says LaPlante. “We are there first thing in the morning and the last at night and even in the best of circumstances, we are essential to student safety. With COVID we’re in unchartered waters. Now is not the time to cut back.”

They do have a stock of masks, disinfectants wipes and hand sanitizer, but the staff power is the necessary tool in the fight against spread.

LaPlante is a custodian at a high school, where studies just showed that students are just as likely to spread the virus as adults. High schools are also very large buildings with dozens of high-touch surfaces.

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Sean Casten (IL-06), introduced the bipartisan, bicameral ESP Family Leave Act, legislation which would ensure that the Education Support Professionals (ESPs) who keep our schools running have access to leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. The legislation is cosponsored by 17 Representatives.

“Too many education support professionals—the dedicated school staff members who work in such essential areas as food service, maintenance, transportation, and much more—are left out of current family and medical leave law. They are devoted to taking care of and supporting students, yet they cannot use leave to take care of themselves or their loved ones during a medical crisis, or after a major life event such as the birth of a child,” said National Education Association Director of Government Relations Marc Egan. “The ESP Family Leave Act addresses this serious inequity, allowing more employees working in our public schools across the nation to have access to the benefit that millions of working people already enjoy.”

Colleagues,

For many, these days are dark and scary both in education and society. ESPs throughout Illinois and across the country are facing uncertainty. I want to tell you that you are not alone. We will get through this together! The council has been in close contact with IEA, and we will continue to bring your questions and concerns to union leadership. IEA has been fighting for schools to open safely and for the passage of the HEROES ACT. The U.S. House has already passed the HEROES Act, and it’s currently sitting in the U.S. Senate. You can take action to sign a petition and ask Illinois’ Senators to vote on the measure that includes funding for education, help for bridging the digital divide and money to outfit educators with personal protective gear. These funds can also be used to support students by having the ESPs they need to be successful in school. You make a difference everyday in the life of a child! #StrongerUnited #rESPect