IEA Education Support Professional Council
Education Support Professional Council consists of thirteen (13) members all of whom are ESP school employees and members of the Illinois Education Association. The ESP council's goal is to represent and support ESP's throughout Illinois.
You know what they say about the best laid plans!! I want to apologize about the technical difficulties with yesterdays IEA ESP Roundtable! We will work on the issues for next months Roundtable on September 19th. For those who were able to attend, we did have a fabulous discussion with Dr. Stacy Young about ESP Health and Safety As We Return To School. Once the audio is ready it will be uploaded to IEA’s Members Only site.
Thank you again for your patience!!
SPRINGFIELD – Today, the Illinois Education Association (IEA) and the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (ICAAP) announced a medical review panel that will determine if school district re-opening plans are safe for students, staff and communities.
The panel, which will consist of more than a dozen doctors, will review district plans that educators fear may not be safe under public health guidelines. The panel will then determine whether the plans meet a list of commonly agreed upon protocols.
“We will be watching to make sure our students’ and educators’ health and safety is being protected. And if the panel finds a district is operating in a way that puts lives at risk, we will do everything in our power to keep people safe,” IEA President Kathi Griffin said.
ESPs please join us for our next ESP Empowerment Roundtable where we will discuss ESPs health and safety as we return to school. Our guest speaker is from Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (ICAAP)
This Thursday August 6th, 6:30-8:00pm
Register here: https://bit.ly/ESPRoundtable
This reviews your rights under federal law. Always check with your local and state associations for assistance in enforcing these rights and about additional rights you may have under state laws, collective bargaining agreements or memorandums of understanding with the employer, or policies.
BY ALICE O’BRIEN, NEA GENERAL COUNSEL
Some schools have reportedly asked educators to sign documents waiving any rights they have against the school based on exposure to COVID-19. These waivers are not enforceable for several reasons. First, employees cannot be asked to waive their rights under the workers’ compensation laws, which would likely be their main source of recovery for contracting COVID-19 at work. Second, to the extent the school has an obligation under occupational health laws to maintain a safe workplace, that duty cannot be waived. Third, tenured teachers generally cannot be disciplined or fired for refusing a demand to decrease their workplace protections. Fourth, in states with collective bargaining for school employees, schools cannot unilaterally change educators’ working conditions without bargaining with the union.
We are all teachers…whether you have a certificate or not. If you love a child, listen to a child, support a child, and yes teach a child, you are a teacher. This includes learning within a classroom or hallway… ESPs come in many job categories, and each and everyone is essential to the education and well being of the child.
Many of us don’t know what this next school year brings, or maybe you have been given a “plan”. Don’t worry… If we’ve learned anything that “plan” will change tomorrow. This school year for many of us will look very different. Different is change and change is hard. As we look to this year, the most important thing we need to decide is…is the “plan” that my district is presenting safe, following CDC and IDPH guidelines? Will I have all the PPE that I will need to stay safe? Your health and the health of your students is the most important thing there is!! If you have any questions or concerns, reach out to your union president or uniserv director. NEA IEA are here to support you!!
Today, in a joint statement with the Illinois Federation of Teachers, we are announcing how we are fighting for our members and our students, including supporting health and safety strikes.
Read the full statement here: https://ieanea.org/…/joint-statement-from-the-illinois-edu…/
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.
IEA Education Support Professional Council 