Paraprofessionals & School-Related Personnel (PSRP)

Note - updates on the impact of the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) outbreak on non-certified education staff and members of PSRP local unions will be linked here.
 
Click here for results of our board of education (BOE) union coalition return to school survey (Jan 11, 2022).
 
Click here for Department of Public Health (DPH) guidance on mandatory school employee vaccinations (Jan. 4, 2022).
 
Click here for the state Department of Education (SDE)'s COVID-19 self-test kits distribution plan (Jan. 3, 2022).
 
Click here for the federal education department website's COVID-19 resources for schools (Dec. 30, 2021).
 
Click here for our national union's COVID-19 resources for education support staff (Aug. 14, 2021).
 
Click here to access SDE's “Special Education” portal (Apr. 21, 2021). 
 
Click here for the executive order requiring paid leave for school employees quarantined due to COVID-19 exposure (Feb. 4, 2021).
 
Click here for our legal counsel's memo on COVID-19 and employment rights (Jul. 27, 2020).
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AFT Connecticut represents thousands of school-related personnel (PSRP) in local and regional districts across the state. PSRPs work as paraprofessionals, teaching assistants, tutors, secretaries, school nurses, custodians and others who provide critical services that support student learning. From contract negotiations to professional development, AFT Connecticut works to secure the pay, benefits, conditions and respect they deserve as both professionals and “the engine that keeps their schools running.”
 
Click here to follow our national union’s PSRP Twitter feed.
 
Click here for the state education department website's School Paraprofessional Advisory Council page.

 

Overcoming Challenges to Take a "Step in the Right Direction"

Despite the lingering economic effects of the pandemic, union members have since May continued to score substantial successes in collective bargaining negotiations. We are highlighting a local affiliate in this latest quarterly report that survived the fiscal fallout of COVID-19 and won a strong new contract. Their focus on tapping available federal relief resources paid off for a local community hit hard by the global public health crisis.
 

Awarding Activism and Aiding Academics

Like every other aspect of our lives, the ongoing COVID-19 crisis impacted the presentation of annual awards and scholarships at our state federation's 2021 convention. Members were last month recognized virtually for their "above-and-beyond" activism, and several weeks later educational grant winners received notice of their selection. The unorthodox celebrations were indicative of the challenges our labor family has faced and overcome this past year.
 

Advancing Workplace Safety Because "We Stuck By Our Priorities"

Union members have over the past four months demonstrated the power of combining persistence and activism to make significant gains at the negotiating table. Our latest collective bargaining report showcases a local affiliate whose leaders organized high profile public actions to build support and mount pressure on their employer. Their commitment to a healthier and safer workplace paved the way for winning long overdue protections.
 

Resisting "More Calls for Austerity, Year After Year"

Labor activists earlier this year began collaborating with community organizations to help fellow residents recover from the economic fall-out of the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) pandemic. That led to the formation of a new coalition, "Recovery for All," initially focused on securing a state budget in the General Assembly's 2021 legislative session that puts people first. AFT Connecticut is a full partner in these efforts, and is mobilizing members to move lawmakers and the governor to "do better."
 
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