Parents of students on IEPs

[DisneyOma]

A heads up to all parents with kids on IEPs: While it seems most teachers are staying the course, the paraprofessionals are playing the doctor's note game and there will be fewer paras in with the kids. Check to make sure your child has the coverage needed, with appropriate staff. I'm an academic tutor, and got pulled out of classes yesterday because 4 of our 9 paras are refusing to come in the building, but want to stay on the payroll. I will be with the substantially separate population (I love them, and am happy to be with them) with my bachelor's degree in multiple sciences (bio, chem, physics) and math. The kids in science and math who have support in their IEPs are now getting online paras who do not know the subject at all. Good luck to all those kids, and those paras better not come to me for help. They're the ones that refused to come in, but made it into the building to stick their noses into the scheduling. It's incredibly frustrating.

 

[daisy2013]

Paraprofessionals are often among the lowest-paid employees in a school district. They frequently make a little over minimum wage. In our district, they do not receive health care benefits and only recently received any paid sick time. They are often either retired and working to make a little extra money or have school-age children and the schedule allows them to care for their children before and after school with minimal cost. Depending on how the school has decided to go back, here children in self-contained classes are permitted back in the building but other children are all remote, the cost of providing child care for their own children would likely exceed what they are bringing home, and then they are at an increased risk of exposure to Covid (see lack of employer-provided health care above). So while you can judge them for "playing the doctor's note game" and look down your nose at them, the bigger picture is one of low-paid employees trying to make their work and family life work while staying healthy. Perhaps your disdain would be better focused on addressing why they are treated so poorly by the district and apparently their co-workers. And I am the mother of a child with an IEP. Paraprofessionals are the unsung heroes of education. A good one is worth their weight in gold.

 

[lanejudy]

My DD’s high school has started in hybrid format this fall — 2 days in-person and 3 days remote. Last spring I had communicated that online with a para was less than adequate; not as a negative on the para but rather that format does little to for a student struggling to solve an algebra problem and wasn’t set-up properly to help with a research assignment, for example. So this fall we were able to request additional in-person time instead of remote. DD is now going in-person full days 2 days a week, half days 2 days a week, and fully remote 1 day (nobody allowed in the building). I encourage anybody on an IEP who struggled with remote learning in the spring to pursue “recovery” or “compensation” services this fall.

 

[DLgal]

This isn't happening everywhere.

My kids aides are part of the special education team and are full time employees. They are already on campus during virtual learning and they have all assured us they will be there in 2 weeks when we begin in person classes. My sons aides currently log into their zoom mainstream classes with them for support.

 

[DisneyOma]

Paraprofessionals are often among the lowest-paid employees in a school district. They frequently make a little over minimum wage. In our district, they do not receive health care benefits and only recently received any paid sick time. They are often either retired and working to make a little extra money or have school-age children and the schedule allows them to care for their children before and after school with minimal cost. Depending on how the school has decided to go back, here children in self-contained classes are permitted back in the building but other children are all remote, the cost of providing child care for their own children would likely exceed what they are bringing home, and then they are at an increased risk of exposure to Covid (see lack of employer-provided health care above). So while you can judge them for "playing the doctor's note game" and look down your nose at them, the bigger picture is one of low-paid employees trying to make their work and family life work while staying healthy. Perhaps your disdain would be better focused on addressing why they are treated so poorly by the district and apparently their co-workers. And I am the mother of a child with an IEP. Paraprofessionals are the unsung heroes of education. A good one is worth their weight in gold.

That's sad that your district doesn't value the paras more - ours start out at around $14 an hour, and those working 20 or more hours get health insurance and a pension. Top salary is now over $28 an hour. I've been working with these same staff for years, and I've seen their social media feeds. They are having active social lives, etc. We have some who spend the entire day in school on their phones, which gives all of us a bad reputation. It's frustrating because when we do the job well, teachers request us, and we get stuck doing more work than the others, for the same pay. I've talked to admin, and they don't really do anything about it. And it's the kids who suffer - that's what I'm concerned most about. The paras who are playing the system will get what they get, but parents should be aware that between the downturned economy and now this, it's getting really bad. I just hope parents are able to check with their schools to make sure their kids are not falling through the cracks! I have a few students not on my caseload I'm going to try to help whenever they need me, but I can't do the full load like I used to if I'm spending half my days with another set of students. I can't even notify parents that I am no longer there as their child's support staff. Not sure what I am supposed to do with any emails I may get from parents. I'm just really worried about these kids!

This isn't happening everywhere.

My kids aides are part of the special education team and are full time employees. They are already on campus during virtual learning and they have all assured us they will be there in 2 weeks when we begin in person classes. My sons aides currently log into their zoom mainstream classes with them for support.

That's so awesome to hear - thanks for sharing that info! I hope that's more of the norm, but from the 3-4 districts I hear about through friends, it's not the norm around here. Hope you all have a great year, and stay safe.

 

[daisy2013]

That's sad that your district doesn't value the paras more - ours start out at around $14 an hour, and those working 20 or more hours get health insurance and a pension. Top salary is now over $28 an hour. I've been working with these same staff for years, and I've seen their social media feeds. They are having active social lives, etc. We have some who spend the entire day in school on their phones, which gives all of us a bad reputation. It's frustrating because when we do the job well, teachers request us, and we get stuck doing more work than the others, for the same pay. I've talked to admin, and they don't really do anything about it. And it's the kids who suffer - that's what I'm concerned most about. The paras who are playing the system will get what they get, but parents should be aware that between the downturned economy and now this, it's getting really bad. I just hope parents are able to check with their schools to make sure their kids are not falling through the cracks! I have a few students not on my caseload I'm going to try to help whenever they need me, but I can't do the full load like I used to if I'm spending half my days with another set of students. I can't even notify parents that I am no longer there as their child's support staff. Not sure what I am supposed to do with any emails I may get from parents. I'm just really worried about these kids!



That's so awesome to hear - thanks for sharing that info! I hope that's more of the norm, but from the 3-4 districts I hear about through friends, it's not the norm around here. Hope you all have a great year, and stay safe.

The rate is $14-15 an hour which is a bit above minimum wage of $11 an hour in our state. They were all paid their full scheduled time from the March shut down through the end of the year even when there was no real work for them. They could have been laid off or furloughed. They are members of the teachers union and receive sick and personal time. It’s not that they are not valued it’s that many of their personal lives and needs do not mesh with the in school’s needs at this point. That seems to be something you are ignoring. That people have responsibilities outside of their job that may make going into a school building not advisable. I just went on a beach vacation but would not work in our schools due to the lack of adequate ventilation. (And that’s the reason we are starting with remote learning and not in person).

 

[DisneyOma]

The rate is $14-15 an hour which is a bit above minimum wage of $11 an hour in our state. They were all paid their full scheduled time from the March shut down through the end of the year even when there was no real work for them. They could have been laid off or furloughed. They are members of the teachers union and receive sick and personal time. It’s not that they are not valued it’s that many of their personal lives and needs do not mesh with the in school’s needs at this point. That seems to be something you are ignoring. That people have responsibilities outside of their job that may make going into a school building not advisable. I just went on a beach vacation but would not work in our schools due to the lack of adequate ventilation. (And that’s the reason we are starting with remote learning and not in person).

I worked longer hours during the shut down - why weren't those paras used for 1:1 meets online, small groups, etc? I taught 2 small groups, monitored 2 other classes, and met with students 1:1 to help with assigned work. I also emailed each student on my caseload at least once a week just to check in with them. We had plenty of real work to do.

So glad to hear that you are starting remote if your ventilation isn't safe. We've got about a week before our first wave of kids come into the building, and I have to see if they've done anything about the moldy smell in one of the classrooms we'll be in. Mold is one of my allergens, and they'll think I have COVID if I have prolonged contact with mold.

I know we're all trying to do our best (well, some anyways) and we need patience, but mine is worn thin right now. I'm tired of working harder than others because I care about the kids. I'm worried our most fragile population is going to fall behind so much that we can't catch back up. I'm worried that the students in academic classes are going to give up because they aren't getting the help they need. I hope all parents do what they do best - advocate for their kids, make sure they have the coverage listed in their IEPs, and maybe even push for more funding for so many underfunded (and unfunded) mandates. But things look grim in the ed world right now, IMO. I worry for this generation.

 

[daisy2013]

I worked longer hours during the shut down - why weren't those paras used for 1:1 meets online, small groups, etc? I taught 2 small groups, monitored 2 other classes, and met with students 1:1 to help with assigned work. I also emailed each student on my caseload at least once a week just to check in with them. We had plenty of real work to do.

So glad to hear that you are starting remote if your ventilation isn't safe. We've got about a week before our first wave of kids come into the building, and I have to see if they've done anything about the moldy smell in one of the classrooms we'll be in. Mold is one of my allergens, and they'll think I have COVID if I have prolonged contact with mold.

I know we're all trying to do our best (well, some anyways) and we need patience, but mine is worn thin right now. I'm tired of working harder than others because I care about the kids. I'm worried our most fragile population is going to fall behind so much that we can't catch back up. I'm worried that the students in academic classes are going to give up because they aren't getting the help they need. I hope all parents do what they do best - advocate for their kids, make sure they have the coverage listed in their IEPs, and maybe even push for more funding for so many underfunded (and unfunded) mandates. But things look grim in the ed world right now, IMO. I worry for this generation.

Because the district decided not to use them that way. There are also regulations regarding paras supervising classes and individual students. There are also privacy concerns related to virtual instruction and small group related services. Life is hard for everyone right now. There are people who are barely keeping their lives together with school work and family. If working from home gives someone the ability to juggle everything, even if it makes things a bit harder for others without the same pressures, it’s something that should be dealt with with grace and professionalism not attacking and negativity about their choices.

 

[lanejudy]

I'm tired of working harder than others because I care about the kids.

I hear you, I struggle with similar frustrations at times as well and it's exhausting and stressful. I have learned to take a deep breath, get some fresh air if possible at that moment, maybe talk a walk if possible, and then re-focus on what I need to do without comparing to others. In my point of view it seems that I am doing more or working harder or no one else cares as much; that may or may not be true, but I can't control the other factors, only my perspective. So I focus on my work and feel good knowing that I've done my best. Let karma catch up with anyone slacking. Thank you for your dedication to your students.

 

[DisneyOma]

Because the district decided not to use them that way. There are also regulations regarding paras supervising classes and individual students. There are also privacy concerns related to virtual instruction and small group related services. Life is hard for everyone right now. There are people who are barely keeping their lives together with school work and family. If working from home gives someone the ability to juggle everything, even if it makes things a bit harder for others without the same pressures, it’s something that should be dealt with with grace and professionalism not attacking and negativity about their choices.

We don't have the same regulations, it seems. I don't agree that it is okay to make things harder for others because one cannot cope. I shouldn't be expected to work my *** off for the same pay as another who is sitting at home with less of a workload. I just had to fight to get my mandated unpaid half an hour lunch break. Those at home are getting a 50 minute one, as they put in time to 'change classrooms' in the schedule. I have to drive home and shove food in my mouth in 30 minutes. I don't have the ability to meet online with my afternoon classes at the school because they handed out all the chromebooks to the students, and I don't have a designated computer in the school. Won't take my personal laptop in anymore because it's been acting up due to all the transportation the past two weeks of professional development. If it breaks, I'm SOL.

I hear you, I struggle with similar frustrations at times as well and it's exhausting and stressful. I have learned to take a deep breath, get some fresh air if possible at that moment, maybe talk a walk if possible, and then re-focus on what I need to do without comparing to others. In my point of view it seems that I am doing more or working harder or no one else cares as much; that may or may not be true, but I can't control the other factors, only my perspective. So I focus on my work and feel good knowing that I've done my best. Let karma catch up with anyone slacking. Thank you for your dedication to your students.

Thank you! I wish I could ignore the others - and they did have some karma directed at them today when I refused to be double booked in the afternoon and stated those at home had better be doubled up with classes before those of us traveling into the school 4 days a week take on an even bigger burden. New schedule just came out and my wish was granted. Also got to connect with my former students on my caseload today at the greet and get books event. They know where to find me if they need me, and I have the schedule so I know who is supposed to be helping them and can assist in connecting them as well. Oh, I just want to be back in school with all the kids, safely, and help them reach their potentials! Best thing for me in the world is to see a face light up when they understand a new concept, or do better than they thought they would on an exam, or even just gain confidence in themselves. And it kills me to see them not get the help they need, and watch them close down and feel like failures when all they need is the right support. And that's what this is all about - parents need to make sure that the schools are still doing the coverage they have in IEPs even though it might mean hiring more staff, etc. Or to at least look and make sure the schools are trying the best they can to get appropriate coverage.