Eight Reasons Educators Are Excited About 2020 From #RedForEd victories to new trauma-informed practices, NEA educators did great things 2019 and set the stage for bigger accomplishments this year. Read More

Students Still Can’t Tell Fact from Fiction on the Internet With the 2020 election less than a year away, a sobering new study finds that soon-to-be first-time voters are unprepared to assess online content. Read More Accommodations and Modifications: What Paraeducators Need to Know Join us Thursday, January 16, at 7 p.m. EST for this free webinar to learn what special education services your students need, the process for determining modifications, and your role in providing them. Sign Up

How Educators of Color Can Define Their Own Path What can you do when the expectations of your peers and administrators don’t match up with your own? Ambereen Khan-Baker, a 13-year educator, shares her experiences on the School Me podcast. Listen Now Have You Checked Out This Year’s Read Across America Calendar Yet? Encourage students to investigate their world with this month’s recommended books, find ideas for celebrating Read Across America Day in March, and get suggestions for finding free and low-cost books for your classroom. Find Titles Educators Score Big End-of-Year Wins Your activism and outreach to members of Congress last year paid off for students and schools. Read More Help Recruit Educators of Color to the Profession NEA is looking for 20 members to receive training and support that equips them to recruit and retain more people of color into teaching. To learn more and receive a notice when applications become available, please fill out this form. Sign Up

Safety Committee Update

 

We are pleased to share with all of you the progress being made with the District from our collaborative efforts to make our workplace a safer place for all. Since it’s inception after our 2016 contract the cooperation between the District and PASS has lead to many improvements.

Starting with the original team of past president Marty Paczkowski along with Bill Favero and continuing with the current team of Bill and Damian Bolognani, we have worked with Rick Engstrom and Paul Gonzalez from the District administration along with IPMG to develop and implement training programs and safety improvements to keep us safer while working.

Some of our accomplishments are:

• Slips, Trips and Falls safety poster reminders
• Training for correct lifting techniques and ladder safety
• Updated equipment for custodial, maintenance and grounds personnel
• Lidded garbage cans for members that have to deal with diaper disposal
• Developed and communicated procedure for dealing with lice incidents
• Eye wash testing procedure developed and shared
• Working on policy for how to handle employees being alone in buildings during the summer
• No slip treads on stairs at Ina Brixley and phone service booster also for emergencies
• Replacement of aluminum ladders throughout the district with fiberglass models
• Training and certifications for 2 man lifts, hoist trucks and bucket truck
• Low profile dumpsters to help prevent back injuries
• Gators purchased to help in snow removal and salt spreading
• Disposal of hazardous materials from science labs at high schools

 

In addition to these items we have had various trainings also. These, the District and PASS believe, have resulted in a drastic reduction in worker’s comp injuries in the district as seen in the chart above from the past 5 years. We are continuing to work with the District to make this a safer place for us all and will continue to ask for your concerns and contributions going forward.

 

Your Executive Board and Safety Committee

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

A Christmas candle is a lovely thing; it makes no noise at all, but softly gives itself away.

Eva Logue

Pritzker signs Manar’s paraprofessional bill

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday signed legislation to strengthen the pipeline of paraprofessionals serving students in schools across the state.

“Paraprofessionals play a vital role in classrooms and in our children’s lives, particularly for students with special needs,” said Pritzker. “This new law ensures that qualified aides get the opportunity to support our hardworking teachers and help our kids reach their potential, as we work to address teaching shortages across the state.”

The new law reinstates the opportunity for individuals who hold a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent to become licensed after passing a paraprofessional competency test. Many paraprofessionals serve as aides to special education students. The legislation also makes various changes to address teacher licensure. “As we work to build a robust teacher workforce in Illinois, this bill ensures a merit-based route to licensure for paraprofessionals who are looking to advance their careers,” said Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, the Senate sponsor of the measure.

Senate Bill 10 takes effect immediately.