From:
Kathy Chavez, President, Albuquerque Federation of Certified Professionals
Todd Torgerson Chief Human Resources & Legal Support Services
Valerie Hoose, Executive Director of Labor Relations & Staffing
Re: Joint Memo Regarding Essential Duties for Educational Assistants, Health Assistants, Behavior Redirectors, Library Assistants, Family Liaisons, Bus Drivers, and Bus Attendants
To whom it may concern,
Under the current Public Health Order and with the rollout of the District’s Continuous Learning Plan all paid staff should be considered available to participate in activities that contribute to the ongoing improvement of the educational process to best meet the needs of our students during this very challenging time. All employees are expected to be actively participating in the district’s business in a productive way. Under this current Public Health Order, employees are still to work from home to the greatest extent possible. During this unprecedented time of school closures we have been receiving some questions about essential duties for Educational Assistants, Health Assistants, Behavior Redirectors, Library Assistants, Family Liaisons, Bus Drivers, and Bus Attendants. This plan is fluid and has the potential to change due to the nature of the current reality of the COVID-19 pandemic within the State of New Mexico.
Below is a list of essential duties for Educational Assistants, Health Assistants, Behavior Redirectors, Library Assistants, Family Liaisons, Bus Drivers, and Bus Attendants.
Educational Assistants
If EAs have access to a phone, computer and/or internet:
It is important for EAs to be able to keep up the connection with students and staff.
· EAs could meet (virtually) with students that have online access to help reinforce certain skills (math facts, phonics, read a story together), as directed by the teacher/principal.
· EAs can help the teacher find or create resources for students to meet the student’s IEP or address the essential standards, as directed by the teacher/principal.
- In our more intensive programs, EAs could read story aloud, read and share a social story, play a song with, or just give a friendly call to student, as directed by the teacher.
- The student could read a passage aloud to the EA as a follow up from an assigned piece from the teacher. It might give the student a chance (or encourage the student) to read aloud and practice in between, as directed by the teacher/principal.
· EAs could be reading books and videoing them to create a “books on tape/recording” library for their school or classroom. This would help students to see a familiar face and hear a familiar voice, as directed by the teacher/principal.
EAs can participate in their own professional development (if they have technology/equipment):
See Special Education Department Professional Development Opportunities (CLICK HERE)
Behavior Redirectors
Behavior Redirectors can continue to collaborate with the counselor and other members of the Health and Wellness Teams to support specific students, plan for next year, and/or develop resources to be sent to families (at the principal’s discretion).
● Develop resources and tools for families that you can give to your teachers or for your school website (all of this must be approved by your principal):
○ Info on Zones of Regulation.
○ Ideas for behavior management, resilience building activities, and social emotional learning at home.
○ Mindfulness and breathing activities,
○ Develop positive reminders, quotes of the day, and sayings for your teachers to send out.
○ Encourage kids and families to set up a peace place in their home where learning can take place and/or where kids can take a mindful break.
○ Story time online: behavior redirectors can work with a teacher or other certified staff to do stories around SEL.
■ https://www.weareteachers.com/15-must-have-picture-books-for-teaching-social-emotional-skills/
■ https://www.leeandlow.com/prek-grade-2/social-and-emotional-learning
■ https://www.leeandlow.com/grades-3-6/social-and-emotional-learning
■ https://everfi.com/insights/blog/11-books-to-add-to-your-social-emotional-reading-list/
■ https://www.thebutterflyteacher.com/books-that-teach-social-emotional-skills/
○ Redirectors MUST send materials to principals for approval to post to the school website, send via email, or share other ways.
● Options to work on own professional development:
○ Webinars on SEL, Restorative Practices, Behavior Management
○ 40 hour behavior training: https://autismpartnershipfoundation.org/courses/rbt/
○ https://www.freespirit.com/free-spirit-webinars
○ SEL and Behavior in MTSS https://home.edweb.net/webinar/sel20200319/
○ https://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/mental-health/social-emotional-learning
○ https://www.rethinkingschools.org/
○ More webinars and links to resources will be added into the Behavior Redirector Google Drive on a regular basis.
● Read books that are in the restorative practice toolkits:
○ School Climate Team will create an online book club with Behavior Redirectors on Google Chat/Docs
○ The School Climate team will upload or email weekly chapters/readings in PDFs for Behavior Redirectors to access if they have not received their books.
Library Assistants
· library catalog data cleanup (normally no one site based does much data cleanup, but there are some simple but helpful things we could provide training for and give temporary access, if necessary)
· increasing familiarity with children’s and young adult literature
· webinars – there are a lot of library-related webinars out there right now
· participating in district and statewide library Google Meets
Family Liaisons
· Daily morning check-in with Principals and staff via Google Meet.
· Checking the APS Website daily for updates and resources.
· Liaisons are submitting information and resources to be announced on the Schools Robo Call system.
· Checking in and communicating with teachers from their school site to ask if there are any children/families they are aware need extra support.
Bus Drivers/Bus Attendants
· Any extra SafeSchools trainings
· Professional Development
We understand some may not have access to a device or the internet. This is an ongoing discussion however, we cannot mandate staff to use a device at this time.
All will be required to do on going PD through rest of the year. No one can be required to go to school sites.
Those listed in this joint memo need to check in with teachers or principals as determined by your school.
This is a very new and challenging way to teach our children and we need to do the best that we can as well as keeping everyone safe. Please be patient and understanding.
Please stay safe and healthy!
______________________________________________
From:
Kathy Chavez, President, Albuquerque Federation of Certified Personnel
Todd Torgerson Chief Human Resources & Legal Support Services
Valerie Hoose, Executive Director of Labor Relations & Staffing
Re: Joint Memo Regarding Essential Duties for School-Based Secretarial and Clerical Staff (B-Schedule employees)
To whom it may concern:
Under the current Public Health Order and with the rollout of the District’s Continuous Learning Plan all paid staff should be considered available to participate in activities that contribute to the ongoing improvement of the educational process to best meet the needs of our students during this very challenging time. All employees are expected to be actively participating in the district’s business in a productive way. Under this current Public Health Order, employees are still to work from home to the greatest extent possible. During this unprecedented time of school closures we have been receiving some questions about essential duties for secretarial and clerical staff. This plan is fluid and has the potential to change due to the nature of the current reality of the COVID-19 pandemic within the State of New Mexico.
Secretarial and clerical staff, including bookkeepers and registrars are required to perform essential duties. Below is a list of potential duties but is not all encompassing. Additional duties listed within the job descriptions may also be deemed essential.
Secretaries
· Updates Computer Database
· Provides substitute coverage as requested by immediate supervisor (request substitute through Kelly Services as necessary)
· Schedules and arranges for meetings
· Schedules, maintains calendars
· Maintains accounting on APS Purchase Cards
· Accounts for actual money at work sites
· Places orders and tracks them on the Financial System
· Monitors Payroll
· Receives and orders materials
· Receives deliveries (following appropriate Social Distancing Protocols)
Clerks
· Student enrollment
· Student withdrawals
· Maintains student attendance records
· Tabulates and posts data
· Receives deliveries (following appropriate Social Distancing Protocols)
· Assists with updates on Computer Database
Bookkeepers
· Places orders and tracks them on the Financial System
· Composes and creates Financial documents as needed
· Serves as a point of contact for Financial information dissemination
· Prepares and distributes Financial reports
· Maintains and updates financial files and records
· Receives and orders materials (following appropriate Social Distancing Protocols)
Registrars
· Evaluates, interprets and archives high school records from local, in-state, out-of-state, and international educational institutions.
· Translates and authenticates transcripts to conform to APS requirements for high school graduation.
· Validates transcripts for use by government bureaus, universities, courts, military, security agencies, employers, Counselors, students, parents and others.
· Maintains grade point averages, class rankings, honor rolls, New Mexico High School Competency Exam results and other student academic data as required.
· Processes relevant student auto insurance, financial aid, scholarship, work permits and social security forms.
· Assists Counselors in calculating individual student academic progress toward high school completion and provides on-going reports to Counselors and Principals.
· Assists Counselors in reclassifying students to appropriate grade levels after each semester’s reporting period.
· Assists Principals, Data Entry Clerks and Counselors in class scheduling duties.
· Researches data and prepares statistical reports for Principal, District and state as required.
· Refers court subpoenas and legal requests to appropriate school administration
Additionally, these staff members are expected to do the following:
· Daily morning check-in with Principals via telephone or virtual meeting
· Checking the APS Website daily for updates and resources.
· Any extra SafeSchools trainings
· Professional Development
To the extent possible and practical, these individuals should perform their essential duties from home. In the event they are unable to perform these duties from home, they may report to their duty locations. The time on site should be limited to 2 – 3 hours at a time with no more than 2 – 3 days per week on site. Those who are in direct contact with the public (i.e., distributing Chromebooks) shall be compensated at 1.5 times their hourly rate for those hours and shall be provided with appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). This additional compensation for direct contact with the public expires April 30, 2020.
Those listed in this joint memo need to check in with principals as determined by your school. Non-school based B schedule employees will work with their supervisors.
This is a very new and challenging way to teach our children and we need to do the best that we can as well as keeping everyone safe. Please be patient and understanding.
Please stay safe and healthy!