Comments for Illinois Education Association http://www.ieanea.org IEANEA Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:03:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on School nurses need your help to ensure students properly assessed by Denise Sarpy http://www.ieanea.org/featured/school-nurses-need-your-help-to-ensure-students-properly-assessed/#comment-2800 Denise Sarpy Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:03:53 +0000 http://www.ieanea.org/?p=19019#comment-2800 I request that the regulations to keep certified school nurses in the schools that service our special population students be reinstated. (Illinois Special Education Regulations 23, Illinois Administrative Code 226.840). Being a part of the special education team who is involved with student's IEP meetings and evaluations, it is imperative that being a certified school nurse specially trained in education and the educational process, sit at the table and give my professional opinion. All the other professionals at the table are certified, including the counselors, social worker, school psychologist, speech therapist, teachers etc.,. It stands to reason that the nurse should be prepared as well. This will further promote the special education student, who is protected under federal law, receives the best possible and least restrictive services in the school setting. I request that the regulations to keep certified school nurses in the schools that service our special population students be reinstated. (Illinois Special Education Regulations 23, Illinois Administrative Code 226.840). Being a part of the special education team who is involved with student’s IEP meetings and evaluations, it is imperative that being a certified school nurse specially trained in education and the educational process, sit at the table and give my professional opinion. All the other professionals at the table are certified, including the counselors, social worker, school psychologist, speech therapist, teachers etc.,. It stands to reason that the nurse should be prepared as well. This will further promote the special education student, who is protected under federal law, receives the best possible and least restrictive services in the school setting.

]]> Comment on School nurses need your help to ensure students properly assessed by Sara Wilson http://www.ieanea.org/featured/school-nurses-need-your-help-to-ensure-students-properly-assessed/#comment-2797 Sara Wilson Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:15:32 +0000 http://www.ieanea.org/?p=19019#comment-2797 I truly appreciate the support IEA is giving certified school nurses in Illinois, but the picture you chose for this article shows part of the problem. School nurses do not simply put on Bandaids. This is often how we are portrayed--in fact this is the picture most often seen and thought of when describing school nurses. And yes, we put on plenty of Bandaids, but anyone can do that. The certified school nurse does so much more--and it's difficult to capture in a photo. We perform typical nursing duties such as first aid or medication administration, but in addition to that we cover safety issues in schools, nutrition, health education, student assessments, case management, mental health issues (constantly on the rise), staff wellness/health concerns, vision and hearing screenings, create individual health and emergency plans for students, staff trainings, serve on various committees, and so much more. We can make all the plans we want and in a heartbeat our entire day may change and we are good at going with it! We are team players and put the needs of our students first. Most of us don't have a planning period or an uninterrupted lunch. And we're not looking for recognition, but we are tired of constantly having to fight this battle to have our certification recognized and preserved. No other professional in a school can work with a two year degree, so why should the nurse be any different? We all went thought the required program because we wanted to be the best school nurse we could and that means proper training. ISBE should support those who continue their education, not constantly challenge them. Please get this message out to those politicians who are challenging our worth yet again. Thank you! I truly appreciate the support IEA is giving certified school nurses in Illinois, but the picture you chose for this article shows part of the problem. School nurses do not simply put on Bandaids. This is often how we are portrayed–in fact this is the picture most often seen and thought of when describing school nurses. And yes, we put on plenty of Bandaids, but anyone can do that. The certified school nurse does so much more–and it’s difficult to capture in a photo. We perform typical nursing duties such as first aid or medication administration, but in addition to that we cover safety issues in schools, nutrition, health education, student assessments, case management, mental health issues (constantly on the rise), staff wellness/health concerns, vision and hearing screenings, create individual health and emergency plans for students, staff trainings, serve on various committees, and so much more. We can make all the plans we want and in a heartbeat our entire day may change and we are good at going with it! We are team players and put the needs of our students first. Most of us don’t have a planning period or an uninterrupted lunch. And we’re not looking for recognition, but we are tired of constantly having to fight this battle to have our certification recognized and preserved. No other professional in a school can work with a two year degree, so why should the nurse be any different? We all went thought the required program because we wanted to be the best school nurse we could and that means proper training. ISBE should support those who continue their education, not constantly challenge them. Please get this message out to those politicians who are challenging our worth yet again. Thank you!

]]> Comment on In 2012, IEA members can lobby close to home by IEA Governent Relations http://www.ieanea.org/banner/in-2012-iea-members-can-lobby-close-to-home/#comment-2795 IEA Governent Relations Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:39:56 +0000 http://www.ieanea.org/?p=18588#comment-2795 Hello: The information on how to organize a in-district lobbying meeting has been updated with links to contact information on legislators. For those members who have yet to set up their Back Home meetings with their legislators, here is a quick reminder of how to initiate that meetings 1. Log onto the IEA website. Under the Legislative Tab click on Contact Your Legislator http://www.ieanea.org/legislative/contact-your-legislators/). 2. Go to the Elected Officials tab, if you know your legislator, go to member search and there you will find there contact information including phone numbers to call them and schedule a meeting. 3. If you do not know who your legislator is, go to My Representatives and enter your zip code. There you will find their contact information to schedule a meeting We encourage you to invite your colleagues, Region Chair, Uniserv Director and GPA. You can contact them directly, if you have their contact information, or call your region office and ask that they contact you. Additionally, you can talk to your building representative if you don’t know your local leaders. Jim Reed, Director of Government Relations Hello:
The information on how to organize a in-district lobbying meeting has been updated with links to contact information on legislators.

For those members who have yet to set up their Back Home meetings with
their legislators, here is a quick reminder of how to initiate that
meetings

1. Log onto the IEA website. Under the
Legislative Tab click on Contact Your Legislator http://www.ieanea.org/legislative/contact-your-legislators/).
2. Go to the Elected Officials tab, if you know your legislator, go to
member search and there you will find there contact information including
phone numbers to call them and schedule a meeting.
3. If you do not know who your legislator is, go to My Representatives and
enter your zip code. There you will find their contact information to
schedule a meeting

We encourage you to invite your colleagues, Region Chair, Uniserv
Director and GPA. You can contact them directly, if you have their
contact information, or call your region office and ask that they contact
you. Additionally, you can talk to your building representative if you
don’t know your local leaders.

Jim Reed, Director of Government Relations

]]> Comment on In 2012, IEA members can lobby close to home by glen brown http://www.ieanea.org/banner/in-2012-iea-members-can-lobby-close-to-home/#comment-2790 glen brown Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:05:27 +0000 http://www.ieanea.org/?p=18588#comment-2790 Re: Grassroots Political Activists: We need more than just names, cities and regions. How about contact information? Email addresses? Re: Grassroots Political Activists: We need more than just names, cities and regions. How about contact information? Email addresses?

]]> Comment on In 2012, IEA members can lobby close to home by Cinda Klickna http://www.ieanea.org/banner/in-2012-iea-members-can-lobby-close-to-home/#comment-2783 Cinda Klickna Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:37:19 +0000 http://www.ieanea.org/?p=18588#comment-2783 Jerry: I’ve been lobbying lawmakers for more than 30 years, so I certainly agree with you that individual lobbying is not nearly as effective as group lobbying. After the Board discussed Lobby Day at SLA, the IPACE Committee (comprised of elected members of the IEA Board of Directors) decided to change the member lobbying strategy in 2012. This was based on several factors. One was the need to increase the number of members who lobby and to increase the number of legislator contacts. Having back home efforts seemed to be worth trying. Also, was the fact that the current Statehouse construction project will make it very difficult to have a successful Lobby Day this year. The Board and the other IPACE Committee members received comments from members who said that Springfield Lobby Days seemed to be declining in effectiveness. They felt, as did the IPACE Committee members, that a new approach was worth considering. That is why the decision to promote “Back Home Lobby Days (home district lobbying) was made. One great advantage of the in-district strategy is that IEA members, since they are close to home, have the opportunity to contact their legislators, in small groups, several times during the session, rather than just one contact on one day. Someone once invited me to do that and I hope you and others will invite more members to accompany you so that we can build our member engagement in political action. I urge every IEA member who wants to protect pensions and to fight for better teaching and learning conditions to contact their region’s Grassroots Political Activist (GPA). The GPAs are listed by IEA Region here: http://bit.ly/xlnT5H Start the ball rolling: Log onto the IEA website. Under the Legislative Tab click on Contact Your Legislator http://www.ieanea.org/legislative/contact-your-legislators/). Then, go to the Elected Officials tab. If you know your legislator, go to member search and there you will find there contact information including phone numbers to call them and schedule a meeting. If you do not know who your legislator is, go to My Representatives and enter your zip code. There you will find their contact information to schedule a meeting More information on in-district lobbying is on the IEA website (http://www.ieanea.org) Our best chance for success is if we all work as a team. Good luck with your in-district lobbying effort. Jerry:

I’ve been lobbying lawmakers for more than 30 years, so I certainly agree with you that individual lobbying is not nearly as effective as group lobbying.

After the Board discussed Lobby Day at SLA, the IPACE Committee (comprised of elected members of the IEA Board of Directors) decided to change the member lobbying strategy in 2012. This was based on several factors. One was the need to increase the number of members who lobby and to increase the number of legislator contacts. Having back home efforts seemed to be worth trying. Also, was the fact that the current Statehouse construction project will make it very difficult to have a successful Lobby Day this year.

The Board and the other IPACE Committee members received comments from members who said that Springfield Lobby Days seemed to be declining in effectiveness.

They felt, as did the IPACE Committee members, that a new approach was worth considering. That is why the decision to promote “Back Home Lobby Days (home district lobbying) was made.

One great advantage of the in-district strategy is that IEA members, since they are close to home, have the opportunity to contact their legislators, in small groups, several times during the session, rather than just one contact on one day. Someone once invited me to do that and I hope you and others will invite more members to accompany you so that we can build our member engagement in political action.

I urge every IEA member who wants to protect pensions and to fight for better teaching and learning conditions to contact their region’s Grassroots Political Activist (GPA). The GPAs are listed by IEA Region here: http://bit.ly/xlnT5H

Start the ball rolling: Log onto the IEA website. Under the
Legislative Tab click on Contact Your Legislator http://www.ieanea.org/legislative/contact-your-legislators/).

Then, go to the Elected Officials tab. If you know your legislator, go to
member search and there you will find there contact information including
phone numbers to call them and schedule a meeting.

If you do not know who your legislator is, go to My Representatives and
enter your zip code. There you will find their contact information to
schedule a meeting

More information on in-district lobbying is on the IEA website (http://www.ieanea.org)

Our best chance for success is if we all work as a team. Good luck with your in-district lobbying effort.

]]> Comment on In 2012, IEA members can lobby close to home by Jerry Mulvihill http://www.ieanea.org/banner/in-2012-iea-members-can-lobby-close-to-home/#comment-2778 Jerry Mulvihill Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:02:01 +0000 http://www.ieanea.org/?p=18588#comment-2778 I've been doing this for many years. What I need are the resources to be able to contact other IEA members in my legislative district so that we can work together instead of lobbying individually. Also, the point of Lobby Days was to make a statement of organization strength, right? Would Wisconsin have stayed away from the state capitol if the building was under renovation? I think not. In the 35th, we are about to elect a new state rep. Any IEA members who line in the 35th District out there who want to lobby the new rep with me? Contact me at jmulvihill@mac.com. I’ve been doing this for many years. What I need are the resources to be able to contact other IEA members in my legislative district so that we can work together instead of lobbying individually. Also, the point of Lobby Days was to make a statement of organization strength, right? Would Wisconsin have stayed away from the state capitol if the building was under renovation? I think not.

In the 35th, we are about to elect a new state rep. Any IEA members who line in the 35th District out there who want to lobby the new rep with me? Contact me at jmulvihill@mac.com.

]]> Comment on School nurses need your help to ensure students properly assessed by Lisa Andrews http://www.ieanea.org/featured/school-nurses-need-your-help-to-ensure-students-properly-assessed/#comment-2777 Lisa Andrews Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:20:22 +0000 http://www.ieanea.org/?p=19019#comment-2777 I request that the protections set by regulations be reinstated to the original language that required type 73 Certified RN or MD be the only individuals to conduct medical reviews on which recommendations for accommodations related to health needs of children are based. This will ensure that students receive the best care and most appropriate accommodation goals within a school setting. I request that the protections set by regulations be reinstated to the original language that required type 73 Certified RN or MD be the only individuals to conduct medical reviews on which recommendations for accommodations related to health needs of children are based. This will ensure that students receive the best care and most appropriate accommodation goals within a school setting.

]]> Comment on In the News ~ Feb. 7 by Terry Waldron http://www.ieanea.org/newsroom/in-the-news/in-the-news-feb-7/#comment-2768 Terry Waldron Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:01:10 +0000 http://www.ieanea.org/?p=18986#comment-2768 Cullerton needs to pick up the clue-phone: We could hire 5 gym teachers in my district for $150,000! And just what does he mean by more "frugal" contracts...members in my area have been taking freezes for years....sounds pretty damn frugal to me! Cullerton needs to pick up the clue-phone: We could hire 5 gym teachers in my district for $150,000! And just what does he mean by more “frugal” contracts…members in my area have been taking freezes for years….sounds pretty damn frugal to me!

]]> Comment on In the News ~ Feb. 6 by liz http://www.ieanea.org/newsroom/in-the-news/in-the-news-feb-6/#comment-2766 liz Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:30:15 +0000 http://www.ieanea.org/?p=18952#comment-2766 How about letting us know more about what IEA is doing as far as suggesting a plan for the pension reform......instead of sending us all the adverisements for stuff we can buy....which we won't be able to do if IEA doesn't stop just pointing fingers.... How about letting us know more about what IEA is doing as far as suggesting a plan for the pension reform……instead of sending us all the adverisements for stuff we can buy….which we won’t be able to do if IEA doesn’t stop just pointing fingers….

]]> Comment on IEA Capitol Report for February 3, 2012 by Maryellyn Friel http://www.ieanea.org/featured/iea-capitol-report-for-february-3-2012/#comment-2756 Maryellyn Friel Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:32:30 +0000 http://www.ieanea.org/?p=18899#comment-2756 I like these updates in video form!! Great idea! I like these updates in video form!! Great idea!

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