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Back-to-School Survival Camp
Make Sure You Know What is in Your Personnel File
Have you ever thought about what happens to your observations and evaluations? They are actually housed in your personnel file which is protected by LA Revised Statute 17:1231-38, the Personnel File Act. This act states that nothing can go into your file that you have not seen, signed and had the opportunity to rebut. And once you write a rebuttal, it must be permanently attached to your observation/evaluation.
We believe the HCIS or Human Capital Information System, is actually part of your personnel file. We further believe it violates the Personnel File Act and District Personnel Evaluation Plan for several reasons. First, if you are not given a copy of the document at the time of the post observation conference, it is a violation. And being told to go look at it on the system does not work. If you and your supervisor do not affix your signatures onto the document during the post observation, this is a violation. A rebuttal cannot be attached to the HCIS, another violation. And finally, the Personnel File Act states that you have a right to have a document removed if it is proven the document contains inaccurate information or is a misrepresentation of fact.
To date, we are told documents cannot be removed from HCIS.
The long and the short of it is, we asked State Legislators and the Department of Education to delay implementation until they got it right. This did not happen, so it seems that we will have to show them the error of their ways. We are currently preparing documents for a very real possibility of upcoming legal action. Let us hear from you.
Remember, your personnel file is much like your GPA or your credit score– it follows you throughout your professional career. Until Act 1 of 2012 is ruled completely unconstitutional (currently awaiting a district court re-hearing). Your salary and career are tired to your evaluation. By protecting the content of the file, you are protecting your career. Help us help you.
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Time for Evaluations – Principal’s Report Card
They have had their say, now it’s time for yours. This survey is 100% anonymous. Please be sincere in your evaluations and narratives regardless of whether the remarks are positive or negative. Thank you for your participation. Click here to take the survey (10 quick questions).
Simply put, principals can be bullies. It is a sad statement, but it is true nonetheless. At Red River United, we hear stories about professional bullying far too often. Individuals that seek out our assistance are neither troublemakers, nor are they exaggerating their principal’s (or other administrator’s) comments or actions. Initially, most individuals fear retaliation or that their jobs are somehow in jeopardy. We have filed grievances, written resolutions of no confidence, and even gone so far as to consult with our attorneys to combat professional bullying.
From the AFT PSRP Reporter: Singled out. Picked on. Discriminated against. Bullied. All of these are terms for the same thing, says Sharon Baker of the Totem Association of Education Support Personnel in Anchorage, Alaska, and she has no doubt whatsoever that paraprofessionals and school-related personnel (PSRPs) across America have endured harassment and intimidation from other adults on the job. What follows are the stories of PSRPs (their names have been changed or omitted) who have taken a deep breath and confronted their bully or enlisted the union for help in solving their bully problem. It’s not always possible to neutralize a bully right away, but even the worst bullies can be stopped.
Take the case of a library assistant at New York University. A native of Ghana, this AFT member was bullied by a supervisor who called him a monkey, taunted him about eating bananas and told him, “Go back to your cage” and “Go back to the jungle.” With a big assist from the Union of Clerical, Administrative & Technical Staff in New York City, he was able to file a federal lawsuit against the university for failing to protect his civil rights (see Reporter, January/February 2011).
Not every case of bullying becomes a federal case, but most go well beyond rude behavior. Sometimes, working for a bully requires a simple “no” that’s hard to say, as when PSRPs have been instructed to lie for their bosses. In Michigan, an AFT member refused to falsify documents. And in Louisiana, a principal told a paraprofessional she had to lie or look for another job.
As a member of Red River United, you have the strength and backing of thousands of your peers. This translates into people power and Red River United takes power hungry principals very seriously. For more information on how you can get involved in our campaign to stop professional workplace bullying, email Shannon Sullivan.
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View LFT’s Telephone Townhall from Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Learn what happened in this legislative session. Find out how public education fared this year, and what the LFT has planned for the year to come.
The Louisiana Federation of Teachers invited you to participate in a Telephone Townhall on Wednesday, June 12 from 1:00 P.M. until 2:00 P.M.
The one-hour briefing included updates from key LFT leaders on the legislative session that wrapped up June 6. We talked about how public education fared in the legislative session, the status of our challenges to Gov. Jindal’s ill-conceived education “reform” effort, and how we intend to keep fighting for public schools.
The Telephone Townhall took place as Federation activists from around Louisiana gathered in Baton Rouge for the union’s annual Summer Leadership Institute.
We broadcast interactive live coverage of the event through Facebook and UStream. You asked questions of our panelists through e-mail, text, and Twitter.
AFT Disaster Relief
A MESSAGE FROM AFT PRESIDENT RANDI WEINGARTEN
When Mother Nature strikes, the effects can be devastating to entire cities, towns and communities. That is what we saw with the tornadoes that hit Moore, Okla., on Monday. And as we have done so many times, we must mourn those we have lost while, at the same time, trying to put our communities back together.
Our AFT brothers and sisters have been directly affected by this horrific event, and, as a family, we can help. Donate to the AFT Disaster Relief Fund and help AFT members who have had their lives turned upside-down rebuild after tragedy strikes.
I have been in contact with our leadership in Oklahoma. Thankfully, many of our members in the area are safe, but we have not been able to reach everyone. We know of at least one member who has lost a loved one and some who have lost their homes and possessions.
Donating to the Disaster Relief Fund will give direct support to AFT members affected by the storm. Please donate today.
We have seen too many tragedies across this country. From Superstorm Sandy to Newtown, Conn., our members have supported each other in times of need. We are there for each other; we are a family. Let’s lend a helping hand to those affected by the tornadoes in Oklahoma.
I’m asking you to join with me in contributing to the AFT Disaster Relief Fund—every contribution makes a difference.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Oklahoma.
In unity,
Randi Weingarten
AFT President
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Red River United’s Legislative Advocacy
The work of an education union does not begin and end at school board and committee meetings. Educators’ ability to speak their minds freely depends on laws spelling out the rights implied by the term “academic freedom.” Louisiana teachers and school employees might be able to negotiate contracts in one district, but not in another.
The ability of classified employees to work enough hours to qualify for health care or retirement benefits may depend on statewide laws if a local school district administration is unable or unwilling to provide those hours. And the enemies of public education have always attempted to undermine us through legislative action.
In order to bring the perspective of the classroom into the legislature, Red River United makes sure legislators hear from K-12 teachers and classified employees on the issues that concern us. It matters to legislators when Red River United members talk with them, because lawmakers know they represent the collective voice of more than 2,700 educators in Caddo and Bossier Parishes. And that voice is multiplied still further, since the Red River United, affiliated with the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, American Federation of Teachers, and the AFL-CIO, also brings the weight of the organized labor movement to bear in its legislative efforts.
With term limits, legislators often are just becoming conversant with educational issues when they are termed out. The role of Red River United as institutional memory in the Capitol is critical for helping lawmakers and their staff to understand what is important and what isn’t, what works and what doesn’t in public education, based on the actual accumulated experiences of educators.
In addition, Red River United works with our national union to involve members in AFT’s Activists for Congressional Education (ACE) program to inform members of Congress, who act on federal legislation affecting public education. On the state level, ACE has LEGs (Legislative Education Groups). These members work to educate other members of our union on state legislative issues, distribute literature and convene informational meetings, work closely with Red River United and the Louisiana Federation of Teachers to monitor state legislative activities, and mobilize members in the building to communicate with local state legislators.
You cannot be fired or disciplined for joining a union. Click the button to join now.