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.
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
Every piece of information is verified by researchers and linked back to its source.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA or Act) requires certain employers to provide their employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19.[1] The Department of Labor’s (Department) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) administers and enforces the new law’s paid leave requirements. These provisions will apply from the effective date through December 31, 2020.
IEA Education Support Professional Council 