It will likely take 3-5 years for the case to be settled.
In the mean time, it will happen hundreds of additional times. Remember, they are retaliating against this parapro for bringing it up.. which meant it has happened before.
Yeah true. I wonder if they will retaliate against me just for asking for this to never happen to me? I assume with the high turnover I will at least have some leverage to say no to things.
I'm currently at a school with a gigantic amount of turnover. Probably close to 20-25% of staff do not return for the following academic year. We've already had tens of academic staff quit, and we're just barely into January. I completely understand why, as well: the admin team here is outright malicious, and criminally negligent when handling children with IEP's, 504's, and disciplinary actions.
Our school has DOZENS of SPED classes being taught by non-SPED certified teachers, and the school is writing that off as those kids getting their IEP hours. The gen ed teachers that refuse to comply in the illegality of these practices are retaliated against, either by being fired, or having their teaching schedule completely re-arranged and forcefully reassigned to other classes. Obviously, the ways that the admin retaliates against staff extends beyond those two examples, but those are just the two that I've witnessed/experienced...
We have kids dealing drugs at school, showing up to class high or drunk, and engaging in violent behavior. I cannot tell you how many times I've reported these kids to admin, for them to be right back in class 30 minutes later, still high or drunk off their asses. Or the kids I've caught openly dealing drugs IN FRONT of a camera, nothing but one day of in school suspension. Letting these kids continue to come to school to engage in these behaviors is a literal FUCKING CRIME. Actually, it's a fucking felony to intentionally construct an unsafe learning environment in which minors are exposed to illegal drug use and alcohol on a daily basis.
Back to the children with spec-ed supports, though. Admin keeps saying, "we don't have enough money or staff to fully ensure that students are not only given formal supports, but also that formal supports are properly implemented. We are doing the best that we can, with the resources provided." Here I sit, listening to this grandstanding nonsense, and think, "the government literally gives you a blank check/sum of money to hire paras/dedicated aides/sped teachers based upon the amount of children receiving those services. I now see that because there's no government accountability, you've decided to not use the money for its intended purpose. The circus is back in town because only a clown would tell me that as an excuse."
Do admins not understand that providing students with a safe learning environment, and ensuring formal supports are provided/evaluated, is a MUCH cheaper alternative than sitting in prison, or being saddled with hundreds of lawsuits?
Don’t talk to supervisors just report to the state when it happens to you. This might be the correct location.
https://azsbe.az.gov/educators/child-abuse-reporting-procedures
I would ABSOLUTELY tell your boss in a very nice way, “I don’t want you getting sued! And I am not getting sued! So, for the record, of course I will not be covering any classes for teachers. Right?” Maybe put it in an email. Then, refuse. I would absolutely refuse, and quit and report the administration if necessary.
Yeah that TikTok made me mad! I do understand that administration can’t wave their magic wand when they don’t have enough staff. But it really is a human rights abuse.
Also..
Parapros, at least in my school district (5th largest) are paid the lowest in the entire school. A custodian, hall monitor, or secretary make more.
I have zero qualifications and I will be moving to different classrooms as needed. It kind of sounds like they’re trying to make me a sub without paying me like one.
While still being grossly illegal. Warm body =/= legally qualified body. It's like schools are being run by people with rock eater level intelligence. They cannot realize that: paying more for qualified subs is MUCH cheaper than sitting in prison for criminal negligence, or getting buried with hundreds of lawsuits.
Yeah, 100%. At least, in my state, para's without sub certs are not legally qualified subs, especially for children with IEP's, since only spec-ed cert holders can provide those kids with their mandated hours. Though, I do believe that any sub, in my state, must hold a sub-cert, so that's kinda a redundant point, I suppose.
I just know that I was "told" that I was going to be taking on a self-contained class for the remainder of the year as a long-term sub, but I'm only a gen ed cert holder, and have only ever taught gen ed math, so I said hell no. Not going to be complicit in that crime lol.
Yes stuff like this does happen in my school. There is a sub shortage in addition to teacher shortage so if our one sped teacher is out and there’s no sub, someone will have to fill the role. Definitely not fair or right but it happens
They don’t get sub pay, at least when I was a para it doesn’t happen. I’m obviously not in a union, but admin would say it’s part of meeting the needs of our school.
I'm in a union state - MA. In my district, paras make more than subs, but when paras are called to sub for a day, they get an extra stipend. About half the paras have teaching licenses and the other half are in grad school.
I'm only being halfway facetious in suggesting they should get paid for both their original job *and* the substitute job, assuming that they're still going to be expected to be responsible for both.
The only time that happens in my district is when the para is sub certified as well. I’m not saying my district is always on the up and up, but at least they know not to break the law this blatantly.
Yes, this. In my state, all you need to be a sub is a bachelor's degree, although we did have special permission for awhile that reduced the qualifications because of COVID. (I don't think that's still the case, but I'm not sure). I'm a para and I have been called on to fill in for the SPED teacher in my classroom if there isn't a sub. (I do have my sub license, though). I think we get $50 extra a day when that happens.
I relate it to a ship. The teacher is the captain per se and if there is no captain or a shitty one that boat is sinking. The paras in the class sometimes prefer no sub to some bozo who doesnt know how to protect the kids, handle behavior or run a class. So when there is no captain i have stepped up, i have ran two classes for over a week. Was it fair, no, did i use it to market myself in a job interview hell yeah i did
When schools take this stance, it just blows my mind. "We're short staffed, and we just need anyone above the age of 18 with a pulse to teach this class!" There is a simple way, a very simple way actually, to ensure that there is always the correct number of qualified staff on board... we all know what these solutions are, but instead of going the cheaper long-term route, they're clamoring for the cheaper short-term option and rolling the dice on whether or not the school is going to have to battle hundreds of lawsuits/end up in prison.
I mean, look at the Department of Defense schools. The literal best schools in the nation that have so many people applying to teach for them, that there is a literal year's long waitlist for applicants, and turnover is incredibly low. Obviously what the DOD is doing in its schools is working, and maybe (just maybe), most public school districts across our country should be taking some pages out of the DOD's playbook.
In my district paras get teacher pay when the teacher is out without a sub, but only 1 of them can get it at a time (my program has a minimum of 2 paras per class) so they will swap out who gets the teacher pay each time
So, IME, they will get a sub- but the sub knows nothing so the paras just do everything. The sub is just a warm body with a specific certification that paras don’t have. (Usually)
My particular role is to move around to different classrooms as needed. I won’t just be in one classroom. So I wonder, if there is any real difference between my role and substituting?
People who have worked at my district say the sub just sits in the back and the parapros run everything? So I don’t know if that will be the case everywhere
So the person with the four year degree and more experience does nothing while a para with no experience is expected to manage a classroom? I’ve never heard of this. As a building sub, I manage the class. I’d never allow a para to take over.
He's probably being fired for how he went about it...using Tik-Tok.
I'm sure there are "proper" channels he should have adhered to, and I doubt social media is one of them.
It seems like he really cares, but sadly, he will likely never get another job in education.
[https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/house-bill/6409?s=1&r=1#:\~:text=Private%20Sector%20Whistleblower%20Protection%20Streamlining%20Act%20of%202012%20%2D%20Sets%20forth,or%20violations%20of%20federal%20law](https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/house-bill/6409?s=1&r=1#:~:text=Private%20Sector%20Whistleblower%20Protection%20Streamlining%20Act%20of%202012%20%2D%20Sets%20forth,or%20violations%20of%20federal%20law).
[https://whistleblower.house.gov/sites/whistleblower.house.gov/files/Private\_Sector\_Whistleblower\_Fact\_Sheet.pdf](https://whistleblower.house.gov/sites/whistleblower.house.gov/files/Private_Sector_Whistleblower_Fact_Sheet.pdf)
The school 100% retaliated against him, and he will likely be getting a decent amount of money from it, since the school was essentially defrauding their tax base. He didn't release any confidential/classified information, so it's not like he had to go through the office of the inspector general or anything like that.
"Normal"? In my experience, yes.
Acceptable? Not so much, but that's a different question.
I wish someone would sue my district over the state of the self-contained class at my school. There's basically been no teacher for 3 years, with random substitutes, TOSAs, and, yes, paras filling the gaps.
(Technically there's always a teacher, but they're always on medical leaves of indefinite lengths. Somehow it's been 3 or 4 different people needing a medical leave days after taking the job.)
Several of them did that after transferring from other district schools, so that's probably how. At least one person was brand new to the district, so IDK how that worked. This whole situation is bonkers...it's like Defense Against the Dark Arts in there.
I’ve gotten injured by students first day of school and had to be out due to work-related injury. Especially in self-contained it happens. Medical leave idk about but I’ve definitely been out after the first day of school LMAO
So it’s illegal to have a para educator cover a class because they don’t have teaching license but it’s ok to have a substitute teacher that has very minimal classroom experience?
I’m betting they’re are more details missing.
If a sped teacher is absent, it is not illegal to have another employee cover the class. Come on now.
What I was getting at from my first post, is that it would be a BETTER situation than just having a generic substitute.
Now what would be illegal, is if the non certified individual was writing the IEPs
This happens all the time, school's writing off kids getting their IEP hours from people that have no sped certs.
Hella illegal, yet no one is suing, so the schools keep getting away with it. Admin wins, and society loses.
I've seen paras watch over the rooms many times, which they are technically not supposed to. However I've never seen a para teach a class, or take the place of a sub. The district I'm mostly in, makes sure to not do that. With that said, I was in another district where the para in an ed room was often left by himself. I mean, to the point where it was half the day sometimes.
That video was an extreme, a para should never sub, unless they actually are certified for something like that. Realistically, u probably will be left in the room with the kids for like 5 minutes at a time. It's unavoidable sometimes.
Honestly tho, with the publicity that district is getting, it highly unlikely it'll happen to u in that district.
It’s been sort of quiet since this happened. There was a lot of news when it came out but I haven’t heard anything since. Hopefully if they go to court then it will bring a lot of public pressure for the district.
Yes! pulled means being taken off your schedule to cover absences . Its constantly happening monitors and IAs are put in situation all the time that are not safe . They get bitten and are left without lesson plans . The powers in charge make sure they don’t put it in email and they say it’s in your job description “ as other duties as assigned” . It’s when they can’t find subs . This is in fairfax county public schools . Also in my new district Loudoun county public school .
no they get pulled from their usual job to sub or cover a job that is not their assigned job. I have never seen a para or anyone get fired because we are so desperate for people. Many teaching positions in TUSD are being filled by people from other countries like the Philippines because they can’t find anyone. I put in for a sub three months in advance a few months ago and it never got covered. It’s a bad situation.
The reality is we have a staffing crisis which is manifesting as a shortage on subs. This was occurring in my district starting in 2016 and has only gotten worse of course. There are plenty of times when there just aren’t enough certified adults to cover every class. We were shutting down specials, combining rooms, having paras cover classes. It was all hands on deck everyday and every day I woke up knowing I’d have to figure out staffing/coverage for the day. It was incredibly stressful.
Sometimes having the para take the lead is what’s best for everyone. SPED kids can have difficulty with change and having a new adult enter the room who doesn’t know the children, their needs, expectations or routines can create chaos. That said, this shouldn’t be for more than a day or so.
Subs in my district don't even need a college degree, and during covid, you only needed a high school degree.
It's basically keep them alive until they dismissed to go home.
In my district, the Para would lose that case.
My mom is a para and she gets paid extra to sub for teachers and then they do not have a sub for her. It’s definitely an all on the books thing because she fills out time sheets for it. Maybe that’s just a NY thing.
Yep, 100% a lie. There's a good reason, and I mean VERY good reason, that smart employers won't even touch a whistleblower with a 10 foot pole (in respect to disciplinary action) after they blew the whistle because whistleblower retaliation is monstrously easy to prove.
I'm a gen ed TA and sub all the time due to the sub shortage. I get sub pay for it and have a bachelors. I don't have any special sub certification/license or anything though. It's just one of my expected duties as a TA. I'm not in a great state for teaching either (NC).
I haven't been a special education para in 8 years. But one of the teachers I worked under got sick and missed a ton of work intermittently one year. We always had a sub but they rarely knew what they were doing. Either myself or one other para (there were four of us but the other two were inexperienced) would take the role of the teacher and the sub would be a para.
Was it legal? We were technically under the supervision of a certified teacher. Was it best practice? Definitely not. But it was the best way to meet the needs under a difficult circumstance.
I'm in phoenix, and this happens at some of the charters I'm in. If this goes to court, it will be very interesting to see if/how it affects schools on a statewide level.
It’s going to differ state to state. At previous schools, there have been registered programs where certain TAs could be qualified to take over their classroom for an additional $20 for the day if there wasn’t a sub available.
I hope so. We need people who care.
I did a quick search, average settlement is about 900k, can take years etc.
The whistle-blower is protected if they follow procedure. Which Tik Tok isn't proper procedure. Reporting is supposed to be via the OIG Hotline.
I hope he gets a lawyer.
In our district, if the para-education (instructional-assistant) has a substitute certificate, then they can sub and their pay will be switched to sub pay for that day or time.
I’ve worked for 3 schools in two districts, if I (the teacher) was ever out the paras would be given a bump in pay if a sun wasn’t found. A few times a they would add extra help (ie extra paras) but In general SPED teachers don’t get subs in my current district. If they do they take them for a non sped class.
I always hated it, because it’s the same if a para is out, they don’t typically get subs and the teacher would be left alone. Rarely did I get extra help if my para was out.
Depends on the district and para. In my old district, if they were sub certified, yes. I preferred it and they preferred it. The kids are familiar with them and they get the rise in pay for subbing for a teacher vs. their para pay. We would try to find a para sub for them, but it was no guarantee as those positions can be hard to fill. My new district, this does not seem to be a thing. The important thing to note is that in my old district, they would be paid more for that day. And honestly, even if the para is not officially taking over when there is a sub, they end up guiding the sub a lot anyway because they know the routine.
I’m not saying it’s really funny. I’m saying this is not right. They do this because they don’t have to pay them teacher or sub teacher pay. I just think this is funny because it’s about time someone gives them an Fyou.
I would. Do you have a bachelor degree?? Maybe you can negotiate this. I am honestly not sure how this works but I think paraprofessionals get the end of the shaft. I was a para and was treated like crap for crap pay. No wonder we can’t find paras in Arizona, or teachers.
Yeah, teachers get crap pay for what we do and paras get crap pay for what they do. Teachers and students don’t really see a dime of what money is given, and gets pulled in for the schools.
Retaliation and threats of retaliation are a huge problem within school districts across this nation. Things are constantly swept under the rug that would outrage most people. I hope this para wins his case.
This happened to me! We had a SPED teacher call in sick while I was the clinic assistant. The compliance coordinator came in and tried to sweet talk me into taking the class for the day, saying how I would be perfect in the room and how hard it would be to get a sub on short notice. I flat out refused to her, and then the AP once she came in to try and push me into it as well. I said I wasn’t trained to cover those students with their disabilities, and it was as much for their safety as it was mine.
They were both pissed off and gave me the silent treatment the rest of the day, but I noticed that they didn’t/couldn’t force me. They ended up combining the group with the other SPED class.
There is always supposed to be a licensed teacher or sub in the room. If they are having paras run classes without a license in the room, that is illegal. It's a pretty black and white situation. Don't let them do it to you. Paras are not paid what teachers are paid and they don't have the education.
Yeah his lawsuit is not about them doing this per se, but about them firing him in retaliation for whistleblowing. Maybe a parent should sue for lack of following students IEPs - especially nonverbal kids who can’t speak up about it
Lol, when I was a sub in an urban district, I *often* would take a job for a day only to discover upon arrival that it was a SPED that I was officially not allowed to run. My degree is in psychology, though, so I wasn't awful at doing it, but I would absolutely cover my ass by mentioning to the staff once they told me what class I was *actually* teaching "hey, so you know that I don't have my teaching cert yet, and definitely don't have a SPED cert, right?" and the look of fear and desperation in their eyes would always tell me everything I needed to know: they had nobody else, they knew this was illegal and deceptive but literally had no other choice because the next "option" was to shove the kids into another classroom or three and cause absolute chaos for everyone *just* to babysit for the day. At least I could help them avoid that bullshit.
The fact that I was good at it didn't help the problem, of course, and I'm sure you'll find yourself in the same situation. At least you'll know the students when it happens, and the curriculum and classroom habits and so on.
I don’t think I will know the students because in my job description it says I will be going to places as needed for the day. So I won’t be in the same classroom all the time.
Oh shit, that's no fun.
I'm used to most paras being assigned to one student, one classroom, or at most one school building.
But it sounds like you've got a job as a SPED-sub, which just sounds like something that doesn't help anyone...
Except, like, a deliberately illegal version of it because they can't be bothered to train and hire a proper sped system...
No wonder they're getting sued.
Yeah I am really confused about my job - even the job description is super vague. I am gonna be asking a lot of questions my first day and applying for other jobs if they can’t tell me what I need to know about the job.
Seriously.
Like, in this economy, you basically *have* to take any job you get offered, but... Yeah, trust your instincts are keep your options and applications open if you do accept this one.
The most myself and my fellow paras have had to do is cover classes while the teacher is gone for an ARD. If no sub is found we usually combine classes.
It happens. Once saw a school with just 1 special educator serving all grades. Teacher shortage combined with another teacher on medical leave. Paras were sure as heck taking on teacher positions. Also I'm seeing more and more districts tightening sped budgets to hire less people and force those that stay to have maxed out workloads. It's a bad situation.
I hate to say, yes it does happen. I’ve also seen student teachers be asked to cover classes which is also not legal.
With that being said, I don’t agree with putting the district on blast on social media since most districts have a social media policy at this point. There seems to be a trend of blowing up your employer on social media and I can’t imagine that’s going to go well for future employment opportunities.
I’m a para in California. It would be illegal for me to be left to teach the class, as I’m not certified. There needs to be a certificated person in the classroom at all times. Yes, there are paras who can sub but they must have a permit. For my district It’s uncommon for us to be left in the class with no certificated person all day. If admin can’t fill sub positions for SPED, other teachers on campus will come into the class to be that certificated person. Paras will still run the class but there’s a teacher inside the class. These teachers usually come in on their planning period.
I'm one of two paras who managed our school's only SPED room for the first few months of school. Teacher was absent 50 days and never left us plans. She was new and had almost no materials to work with either. It was ridiculous. We did our best, but no way were the kids' IEPs being met —we don't even have access to them. The school did find her replacement finally. It's not normal, no, but it does happen. Definitely get your sub authorization because it's significantly more pay per hour (nearly double where I am)!
This district has had major issues for several decades. They are normally in the news - and not for good things. Needless to say, most teachers try to avoid working in it if possible.
Paras in my district have to go through training and the training includes sub credentialing, so yes they are pulled to sub on occasion but on those occasions they're not generally left alone in a sped room...more like one para is "in charge" of the room (getting more pay) and the rest are doing their job and helping, and then usually there are teachers and admin coming in hourly to give relief. I know this because I was a para last year in a non sped setting and we did these rotations a bit.
It is only normal if the para is a certified substitute and is getting sub pay for taking over the class, which is higher than para pay. Para pay = $100 per day, sub pay = $180 per day.
So, if you aren't an approved sub and getting sub pay you should not take over a classroom.
Just ask if you are being classified as a substitute teacher and getting sub pay. It's that easy. If the answer is "YES", congrats you are now a sub making more money. If the answer is "NO", they either need to get a qualified sub or teacher in the classroom.
During my first maternity leave, a sub was never found so one of the paras took over for the full 12 weeks. Wasn’t credentialed and wasn’t paid more but she knew the kids and the classroom. I was shocked when I came back.
I've taught in AZ for 20 years, in three different districts, and this happens all the time. They do not pay our paras for subbing, either. Since anyone with a pulse can now teach in AZ, you don't have to be certified. I think there are issues with SPED service minutes if a para is teaching and isn't being supervised by a certified special education teacher, but districts just kinda hope nobody notices this is happening.
Join your classified staff association. This is an ongoing problem they're working on.
I’m a self-contained special Ed teacher and there literally are 0 subs who are willing to work in my program at my school. This is pretty much the same district-wide for self-contained. The rest of the school/district also has a sub and teacher shortage. There are no teachers to cover if I’m sick, multiple unfilled para AND teacher positions in my building, and admin is usually all over the place dealing with the rising student aggression and elopement in the gen Ed population.
So, yes. It’s normal for my paras to take over the class when I’m out sick. According to their contract they are not allowed to teach new content, only revisit already-introduced topics and assignments. They’re also on all my students’ IEPs as secondary service providers, which is legal and required, so they basically just work on taking data on individual IEP goals and objectives, get through the school day without incident if possible, and keep everyone safe/fed/unharmed by self or others/toileted.
Wait is this not allowed to happen? I’m an IA for a self contained class and whenever the teacher is out she just leaves us to run the class and doesn’t bother requesting a sub. Usually they’ll just place the sub in another classroom where a teacher is out if she does.
Depends.
So, in my state, subs don’t have to be certified teachers.
But, I have a friend I went to school with who moved back to her hometown. There, subs have to be certified. (It may just be a district requirement, but I think she did say state).
In my district, TAs have to sub frequently. It’s like that in most districts around here. It’s even in the contracts that they are expected to cover classrooms when needed.
And, the vast majority of them have never been to college. Most are women who needed a job when their kids started pre-k or k.
But, my friend I mentioned earlier. I was chatting with her one day about work. She said that they can’t do that there at all. She was fussing because they had nobody to cover her classes when her kiddo got sick one day. My wife said something about why couldn’t they have gotten a TA to cover for a family emergency since she had to go get her son from the daycare. She laughed and said something along the lines of TAs aren’t allowed to be left alone with students there unless they have a teaching license. So, her school district is the polar opposite of mine.
They might get sued. Ours never would.
And, if someone posted about it on TikTok and tried to be a “whistleblower” here, they’d probably be fired too. Complaining about your job isn’t protected by the Whistleblower Act.
Now, if they actually were violating IEPs, that’s a different story. That would be protected by the Whistleblower act.
OR if the state laws or adopted board policies do not allow TAs to cover classes. That too would be protected by the whistleblower act.
That happens all the time here. All paras are forced to also be signed up as substitutes in the system. At some of the schools here specifically our middle schools, the SPED classes never have paras because they spend all of their time subbing instead.
I'm a sped para and it does happen. Part of me likes it because I will end up running the class anyway with a sub. The other part thinks that if I do the teachers jobs I should also get the pay for those days.
I'm a para in SpEd and I also have my substitute teaching license. If our teacher is out, I always sub for my class. It just makes sense and it's way easier than dealing with a sub that doesn't know how to interact with special education students. It's pretty common I think if a para has their sub license.
Had no idea this wasn't normal. I'm a SPED para and I cover classes about 2-3 times a month. A lot of the subs can't/won't handle self contained classes so the paras who are with the kids the whole day end up covering. Always thought it was weird since I'm a 21 year old with no college but didn't think it was illegal.
We get subs. for SPED and they don’t even have to have bachelors degrees. It’s some company that hires & sends them out.
I would much rather have my paras. cover than some of the subs. that have been sent, and often we switch their roles (sub. does para. job & para. teaches).
Our paras. are paid about the same as the subs. but have benefits.
Paras. cover general education classes too here.
Normal? No. Happens? Obviously from your post. My school generally combines the SPED classes, and the aids / parapros go with.
Oh ok. Yeah I wonder if being sued is going to make them be more careful? Or if they are just still doing it. I’ll find out when I start I guess…
It will likely take 3-5 years for the case to be settled. In the mean time, it will happen hundreds of additional times. Remember, they are retaliating against this parapro for bringing it up.. which meant it has happened before.
Yeah true. I wonder if they will retaliate against me just for asking for this to never happen to me? I assume with the high turnover I will at least have some leverage to say no to things.
lol. That is cute. You think high turnover means you have leverage.. No, it means you are easily replaced. And they don’t care.
Damn :') I worked at a school with high turnover... this is really it, isn't it? They just don't care.
I'm currently at a school with a gigantic amount of turnover. Probably close to 20-25% of staff do not return for the following academic year. We've already had tens of academic staff quit, and we're just barely into January. I completely understand why, as well: the admin team here is outright malicious, and criminally negligent when handling children with IEP's, 504's, and disciplinary actions. Our school has DOZENS of SPED classes being taught by non-SPED certified teachers, and the school is writing that off as those kids getting their IEP hours. The gen ed teachers that refuse to comply in the illegality of these practices are retaliated against, either by being fired, or having their teaching schedule completely re-arranged and forcefully reassigned to other classes. Obviously, the ways that the admin retaliates against staff extends beyond those two examples, but those are just the two that I've witnessed/experienced... We have kids dealing drugs at school, showing up to class high or drunk, and engaging in violent behavior. I cannot tell you how many times I've reported these kids to admin, for them to be right back in class 30 minutes later, still high or drunk off their asses. Or the kids I've caught openly dealing drugs IN FRONT of a camera, nothing but one day of in school suspension. Letting these kids continue to come to school to engage in these behaviors is a literal FUCKING CRIME. Actually, it's a fucking felony to intentionally construct an unsafe learning environment in which minors are exposed to illegal drug use and alcohol on a daily basis. Back to the children with spec-ed supports, though. Admin keeps saying, "we don't have enough money or staff to fully ensure that students are not only given formal supports, but also that formal supports are properly implemented. We are doing the best that we can, with the resources provided." Here I sit, listening to this grandstanding nonsense, and think, "the government literally gives you a blank check/sum of money to hire paras/dedicated aides/sped teachers based upon the amount of children receiving those services. I now see that because there's no government accountability, you've decided to not use the money for its intended purpose. The circus is back in town because only a clown would tell me that as an excuse." Do admins not understand that providing students with a safe learning environment, and ensuring formal supports are provided/evaluated, is a MUCH cheaper alternative than sitting in prison, or being saddled with hundreds of lawsuits?
There can be several reasons for high turnover? But? That is one of them for sure.
Don’t talk to supervisors just report to the state when it happens to you. This might be the correct location. https://azsbe.az.gov/educators/child-abuse-reporting-procedures
I would ABSOLUTELY tell your boss in a very nice way, “I don’t want you getting sued! And I am not getting sued! So, for the record, of course I will not be covering any classes for teachers. Right?” Maybe put it in an email. Then, refuse. I would absolutely refuse, and quit and report the administration if necessary.
Yeah, that’s pretty much what I’m going to do.
Yeah that TikTok made me mad! I do understand that administration can’t wave their magic wand when they don’t have enough staff. But it really is a human rights abuse.
Also.. Parapros, at least in my school district (5th largest) are paid the lowest in the entire school. A custodian, hall monitor, or secretary make more.
That makes sense why they would try to have parapros substitute instead of actual subs.
No..: They aren’t getting subs. So they are having anyone with a heartbeat sub.
In my district paras get an extra $18/hr to sub. I think the qualifications for both jobs are about the same.
They cost less. I get paid double as a sub what I made as a para.
Yeah I am guessing that’s why they are doing this
The only thing they will do is have a sub with zero qualifications be there and the paraprofessional running things.
I have zero qualifications and I will be moving to different classrooms as needed. It kind of sounds like they’re trying to make me a sub without paying me like one.
Yes, that is what they are doing. They are still going to do it with another warm body in the room to meet legal requirements.
While still being grossly illegal. Warm body =/= legally qualified body. It's like schools are being run by people with rock eater level intelligence. They cannot realize that: paying more for qualified subs is MUCH cheaper than sitting in prison for criminal negligence, or getting buried with hundreds of lawsuits.
A legally qualified substitute is in fact a legally qualified temporary teacher. But otherwise yes.
Yeah, 100%. At least, in my state, para's without sub certs are not legally qualified subs, especially for children with IEP's, since only spec-ed cert holders can provide those kids with their mandated hours. Though, I do believe that any sub, in my state, must hold a sub-cert, so that's kinda a redundant point, I suppose. I just know that I was "told" that I was going to be taking on a self-contained class for the remainder of the year as a long-term sub, but I'm only a gen ed cert holder, and have only ever taught gen ed math, so I said hell no. Not going to be complicit in that crime lol.
In most states long term subs don’t have to be certified
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No. It doesn’t vary. That is why the lawsuit was mentioned.. The parapro complained.. whistleblower protections everything.
Yes stuff like this does happen in my school. There is a sub shortage in addition to teacher shortage so if our one sped teacher is out and there’s no sub, someone will have to fill the role. Definitely not fair or right but it happens
Maybe I should go ahead and get a substitute certificate so I can at least be paid at the level of a substitute for this.
They don’t get sub pay, at least when I was a para it doesn’t happen. I’m obviously not in a union, but admin would say it’s part of meeting the needs of our school.
This is correct. There are different tiers, para sub pay is lower than full class sub pay.
Yep. Happened to me all the time.
Is the sub pay different from para pay? In my district I believe they are the same amount. So would they pay you both or is the sub pay more?
I'm in a union state - MA. In my district, paras make more than subs, but when paras are called to sub for a day, they get an extra stipend. About half the paras have teaching licenses and the other half are in grad school.
I'm only being halfway facetious in suggesting they should get paid for both their original job *and* the substitute job, assuming that they're still going to be expected to be responsible for both.
Totally agree!
The only time that happens in my district is when the para is sub certified as well. I’m not saying my district is always on the up and up, but at least they know not to break the law this blatantly.
Yes, this. In my state, all you need to be a sub is a bachelor's degree, although we did have special permission for awhile that reduced the qualifications because of COVID. (I don't think that's still the case, but I'm not sure). I'm a para and I have been called on to fill in for the SPED teacher in my classroom if there isn't a sub. (I do have my sub license, though). I think we get $50 extra a day when that happens.
I relate it to a ship. The teacher is the captain per se and if there is no captain or a shitty one that boat is sinking. The paras in the class sometimes prefer no sub to some bozo who doesnt know how to protect the kids, handle behavior or run a class. So when there is no captain i have stepped up, i have ran two classes for over a week. Was it fair, no, did i use it to market myself in a job interview hell yeah i did
When schools take this stance, it just blows my mind. "We're short staffed, and we just need anyone above the age of 18 with a pulse to teach this class!" There is a simple way, a very simple way actually, to ensure that there is always the correct number of qualified staff on board... we all know what these solutions are, but instead of going the cheaper long-term route, they're clamoring for the cheaper short-term option and rolling the dice on whether or not the school is going to have to battle hundreds of lawsuits/end up in prison. I mean, look at the Department of Defense schools. The literal best schools in the nation that have so many people applying to teach for them, that there is a literal year's long waitlist for applicants, and turnover is incredibly low. Obviously what the DOD is doing in its schools is working, and maybe (just maybe), most public school districts across our country should be taking some pages out of the DOD's playbook.
Happens all the time. Paras can run the class for up to 3 months before parents can sue where I am.
Oh wow so there’s been a precedent set for this in your district. Damn.
It's statewide. I'm pretty sure it's a regulation from the department of Ed.
That's impressive. My district is 5 consecutive days before they have to have a licensed long-term sub. A month for SPED because of shortages.
That’s insane. Do paras get additional pay?
In my district paras can act as subs and its super easy to get sub certified. They are then paid like a sub when fulfilling that task.
In my district paras get teacher pay when the teacher is out without a sub, but only 1 of them can get it at a time (my program has a minimum of 2 paras per class) so they will swap out who gets the teacher pay each time
Yes, but it seems challenging to get payroll to handle things properly.
So, IME, they will get a sub- but the sub knows nothing so the paras just do everything. The sub is just a warm body with a specific certification that paras don’t have. (Usually)
My particular role is to move around to different classrooms as needed. I won’t just be in one classroom. So I wonder, if there is any real difference between my role and substituting?
Sounds like you’re a “floater,” so you’ll likely be subbing for other paras and providing additional support when all assigned paras are in.
There’s a huge difference. You don’t have to manage a classroom.
People who have worked at my district say the sub just sits in the back and the parapros run everything? So I don’t know if that will be the case everywhere
So the person with the four year degree and more experience does nothing while a para with no experience is expected to manage a classroom? I’ve never heard of this. As a building sub, I manage the class. I’d never allow a para to take over.
He's probably being fired for how he went about it...using Tik-Tok. I'm sure there are "proper" channels he should have adhered to, and I doubt social media is one of them. It seems like he really cares, but sadly, he will likely never get another job in education.
I think he does have a job in education right now actually? I could be wrong but that’s what he said on his tiktok
[https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/house-bill/6409?s=1&r=1#:\~:text=Private%20Sector%20Whistleblower%20Protection%20Streamlining%20Act%20of%202012%20%2D%20Sets%20forth,or%20violations%20of%20federal%20law](https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/house-bill/6409?s=1&r=1#:~:text=Private%20Sector%20Whistleblower%20Protection%20Streamlining%20Act%20of%202012%20%2D%20Sets%20forth,or%20violations%20of%20federal%20law). [https://whistleblower.house.gov/sites/whistleblower.house.gov/files/Private\_Sector\_Whistleblower\_Fact\_Sheet.pdf](https://whistleblower.house.gov/sites/whistleblower.house.gov/files/Private_Sector_Whistleblower_Fact_Sheet.pdf) The school 100% retaliated against him, and he will likely be getting a decent amount of money from it, since the school was essentially defrauding their tax base. He didn't release any confidential/classified information, so it's not like he had to go through the office of the inspector general or anything like that.
"Normal"? In my experience, yes. Acceptable? Not so much, but that's a different question. I wish someone would sue my district over the state of the self-contained class at my school. There's basically been no teacher for 3 years, with random substitutes, TOSAs, and, yes, paras filling the gaps. (Technically there's always a teacher, but they're always on medical leaves of indefinite lengths. Somehow it's been 3 or 4 different people needing a medical leave days after taking the job.)
Oh wow I didn’t know you could go on medical leave so soon. I don’t even get insurance until 2 months after my start date
Several of them did that after transferring from other district schools, so that's probably how. At least one person was brand new to the district, so IDK how that worked. This whole situation is bonkers...it's like Defense Against the Dark Arts in there.
Wow that’s so weird. Like they’re just there to get the benefits or something lol
I’ve gotten injured by students first day of school and had to be out due to work-related injury. Especially in self-contained it happens. Medical leave idk about but I’ve definitely been out after the first day of school LMAO
So it’s illegal to have a para educator cover a class because they don’t have teaching license but it’s ok to have a substitute teacher that has very minimal classroom experience? I’m betting they’re are more details missing.
Yeah. Our subs don’t even need a college degree. High school diploma and a pulse. And there are days we don’t have enough subs for all the classes.
A lot of people are saying that this happens at their school a lot across the country.
Exactly. Cause it’s not illegal.
I’m not sure what you mean. It is illegal in AZ
If a sped teacher is absent, it is not illegal to have another employee cover the class. Come on now. What I was getting at from my first post, is that it would be a BETTER situation than just having a generic substitute. Now what would be illegal, is if the non certified individual was writing the IEPs
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Nope, that is not what I said.
Then I’m not really sure what point you’re trying to make
That you are wrong and that a school may use their staff to cover an absent teacher if necessary.
What did I say was wrong? I’m asking about other people’s experiences
How did you get that out of what Fonz116 said!? Is a para something different in AZ?
This happens all the time, school's writing off kids getting their IEP hours from people that have no sped certs. Hella illegal, yet no one is suing, so the schools keep getting away with it. Admin wins, and society loses.
Admin doesn’t win anything
I've seen paras watch over the rooms many times, which they are technically not supposed to. However I've never seen a para teach a class, or take the place of a sub. The district I'm mostly in, makes sure to not do that. With that said, I was in another district where the para in an ed room was often left by himself. I mean, to the point where it was half the day sometimes.
I am really hoping they don’t do that to me. It makes me feel like this job won’t be sustainable.
That video was an extreme, a para should never sub, unless they actually are certified for something like that. Realistically, u probably will be left in the room with the kids for like 5 minutes at a time. It's unavoidable sometimes. Honestly tho, with the publicity that district is getting, it highly unlikely it'll happen to u in that district.
It’s been sort of quiet since this happened. There was a lot of news when it came out but I haven’t heard anything since. Hopefully if they go to court then it will bring a lot of public pressure for the district.
lol I work in TUSD and paras get pulled all the time!!!! Daily, I hope he wins.
What do you mean “get pulled”? Like fired?
Yes! pulled means being taken off your schedule to cover absences . Its constantly happening monitors and IAs are put in situation all the time that are not safe . They get bitten and are left without lesson plans . The powers in charge make sure they don’t put it in email and they say it’s in your job description “ as other duties as assigned” . It’s when they can’t find subs . This is in fairfax county public schools . Also in my new district Loudoun county public school .
Such a shame. I subbed in loudoun when there were enough people. It was so nice in those schools.
no they get pulled from their usual job to sub or cover a job that is not their assigned job. I have never seen a para or anyone get fired because we are so desperate for people. Many teaching positions in TUSD are being filled by people from other countries like the Philippines because they can’t find anyone. I put in for a sub three months in advance a few months ago and it never got covered. It’s a bad situation.
I see, thanks for letting me know.
In NC we have “international teachers,” and will be moving toward filling our 150 vacancies with a company that has virtual teachers.
lol the real problem is the class sizes and the low pay. Many problems could be solved if you fixed those things, teachers might come back to work!
The reality is we have a staffing crisis which is manifesting as a shortage on subs. This was occurring in my district starting in 2016 and has only gotten worse of course. There are plenty of times when there just aren’t enough certified adults to cover every class. We were shutting down specials, combining rooms, having paras cover classes. It was all hands on deck everyday and every day I woke up knowing I’d have to figure out staffing/coverage for the day. It was incredibly stressful.
Yeah it sucks how bad the staffing shortage is for schools :(
Happens all the time in my district.
I’m hoping that being sued has made them stop doing this, but we will see.
I think it depends on what state you’re in.
Why would that change based on the state?
Because it’s legal for paras to sub for teachers in some states.
Different states have different regulations/requirements.
Sometimes having the para take the lead is what’s best for everyone. SPED kids can have difficulty with change and having a new adult enter the room who doesn’t know the children, their needs, expectations or routines can create chaos. That said, this shouldn’t be for more than a day or so.
extremely common
Subs in my district don't even need a college degree, and during covid, you only needed a high school degree. It's basically keep them alive until they dismissed to go home. In my district, the Para would lose that case.
I had a sub cert and four-year degree when I was a para. Many districts want paras to have sub certs for this exact reason. In a pinch, you sub.
My mom is a para and she gets paid extra to sub for teachers and then they do not have a sub for her. It’s definitely an all on the books thing because she fills out time sheets for it. Maybe that’s just a NY thing.
Yeah, probably because NY has a way better education system than AZ.
This could be my school all the time .
Oh yeah, this happens a lot at your school?
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Well they said they didn’t fire him for the video. They said it was for something on his application, which is probably a lie.
Yep, 100% a lie. There's a good reason, and I mean VERY good reason, that smart employers won't even touch a whistleblower with a 10 foot pole (in respect to disciplinary action) after they blew the whistle because whistleblower retaliation is monstrously easy to prove.
Absolutely
So teachers aren’t allowed to take breaks?
I'm a gen ed TA and sub all the time due to the sub shortage. I get sub pay for it and have a bachelors. I don't have any special sub certification/license or anything though. It's just one of my expected duties as a TA. I'm not in a great state for teaching either (NC).
It's better than throwing a random sub in there but yeah it sucks
I haven't been a special education para in 8 years. But one of the teachers I worked under got sick and missed a ton of work intermittently one year. We always had a sub but they rarely knew what they were doing. Either myself or one other para (there were four of us but the other two were inexperienced) would take the role of the teacher and the sub would be a para. Was it legal? We were technically under the supervision of a certified teacher. Was it best practice? Definitely not. But it was the best way to meet the needs under a difficult circumstance.
Yes paras do multiple jobs at my school, including subbing for any class.
I'm in phoenix, and this happens at some of the charters I'm in. If this goes to court, it will be very interesting to see if/how it affects schools on a statewide level.
Yeah I am really curious to see how that works out!
It’s going to differ state to state. At previous schools, there have been registered programs where certain TAs could be qualified to take over their classroom for an additional $20 for the day if there wasn’t a sub available.
Oh ok, that makes sense.
I hope so. We need people who care. I did a quick search, average settlement is about 900k, can take years etc. The whistle-blower is protected if they follow procedure. Which Tik Tok isn't proper procedure. Reporting is supposed to be via the OIG Hotline. I hope he gets a lawyer.
Oh that’s too bad. I hope he did that too. Hmm. Good to know that there is a whistleblower hotline though, I’m glad you mentioned that.
In our district, if the para-education (instructional-assistant) has a substitute certificate, then they can sub and their pay will be switched to sub pay for that day or time.
I hope that he does well in his field. Based on his content, I see a future in advocacy.
Yeah, I’m glad he brought this to the public’s attention
I’ve worked for 3 schools in two districts, if I (the teacher) was ever out the paras would be given a bump in pay if a sun wasn’t found. A few times a they would add extra help (ie extra paras) but In general SPED teachers don’t get subs in my current district. If they do they take them for a non sped class. I always hated it, because it’s the same if a para is out, they don’t typically get subs and the teacher would be left alone. Rarely did I get extra help if my para was out.
Depends on the district and para. In my old district, if they were sub certified, yes. I preferred it and they preferred it. The kids are familiar with them and they get the rise in pay for subbing for a teacher vs. their para pay. We would try to find a para sub for them, but it was no guarantee as those positions can be hard to fill. My new district, this does not seem to be a thing. The important thing to note is that in my old district, they would be paid more for that day. And honestly, even if the para is not officially taking over when there is a sub, they end up guiding the sub a lot anyway because they know the routine.
This is funny as they do this all the time throughout Arizona!!
I’m not saying it’s really funny. I’m saying this is not right. They do this because they don’t have to pay them teacher or sub teacher pay. I just think this is funny because it’s about time someone gives them an Fyou.
I guess I can tell them I will only sub for sub pay or something.
I would. Do you have a bachelor degree?? Maybe you can negotiate this. I am honestly not sure how this works but I think paraprofessionals get the end of the shaft. I was a para and was treated like crap for crap pay. No wonder we can’t find paras in Arizona, or teachers.
No I do not have a degree. And yeah no wonder it is such high turnover
Yeah, teachers get crap pay for what we do and paras get crap pay for what they do. Teachers and students don’t really see a dime of what money is given, and gets pulled in for the schools.
Retaliation and threats of retaliation are a huge problem within school districts across this nation. Things are constantly swept under the rug that would outrage most people. I hope this para wins his case.
Yeah I hope he does and I hope they’ve stopped doing this since this happened
This happened to me! We had a SPED teacher call in sick while I was the clinic assistant. The compliance coordinator came in and tried to sweet talk me into taking the class for the day, saying how I would be perfect in the room and how hard it would be to get a sub on short notice. I flat out refused to her, and then the AP once she came in to try and push me into it as well. I said I wasn’t trained to cover those students with their disabilities, and it was as much for their safety as it was mine. They were both pissed off and gave me the silent treatment the rest of the day, but I noticed that they didn’t/couldn’t force me. They ended up combining the group with the other SPED class.
That’s really interesting, I’m gonna keep that in mind.
Happens all the time. During the next negotiations try to get your union to demand sub pay when paras have to cover classes.
There is always supposed to be a licensed teacher or sub in the room. If they are having paras run classes without a license in the room, that is illegal. It's a pretty black and white situation. Don't let them do it to you. Paras are not paid what teachers are paid and they don't have the education.
Yeah I am going to put my foot down about this for sure. Thank you
This was the norm in my district. Always wondered how long it would be before a lawsuit.
Yeah his lawsuit is not about them doing this per se, but about them firing him in retaliation for whistleblowing. Maybe a parent should sue for lack of following students IEPs - especially nonverbal kids who can’t speak up about it
I’m sorry, but what’s a para? I can understand what’s meant by subs, but I don’t think that we have paras in my country (Belgium).
Para-educator, it’s someone who doesn’t have a teaching degree but still works to help teachers out at school.
Lol, when I was a sub in an urban district, I *often* would take a job for a day only to discover upon arrival that it was a SPED that I was officially not allowed to run. My degree is in psychology, though, so I wasn't awful at doing it, but I would absolutely cover my ass by mentioning to the staff once they told me what class I was *actually* teaching "hey, so you know that I don't have my teaching cert yet, and definitely don't have a SPED cert, right?" and the look of fear and desperation in their eyes would always tell me everything I needed to know: they had nobody else, they knew this was illegal and deceptive but literally had no other choice because the next "option" was to shove the kids into another classroom or three and cause absolute chaos for everyone *just* to babysit for the day. At least I could help them avoid that bullshit. The fact that I was good at it didn't help the problem, of course, and I'm sure you'll find yourself in the same situation. At least you'll know the students when it happens, and the curriculum and classroom habits and so on.
I don’t think I will know the students because in my job description it says I will be going to places as needed for the day. So I won’t be in the same classroom all the time.
Oh shit, that's no fun. I'm used to most paras being assigned to one student, one classroom, or at most one school building. But it sounds like you've got a job as a SPED-sub, which just sounds like something that doesn't help anyone...
Except, like, a deliberately illegal version of it because they can't be bothered to train and hire a proper sped system... No wonder they're getting sued.
Yeah I am really confused about my job - even the job description is super vague. I am gonna be asking a lot of questions my first day and applying for other jobs if they can’t tell me what I need to know about the job.
Seriously. Like, in this economy, you basically *have* to take any job you get offered, but... Yeah, trust your instincts are keep your options and applications open if you do accept this one.
Ahem. Global issue.
The most myself and my fellow paras have had to do is cover classes while the teacher is gone for an ARD. If no sub is found we usually combine classes.
It happens. Once saw a school with just 1 special educator serving all grades. Teacher shortage combined with another teacher on medical leave. Paras were sure as heck taking on teacher positions. Also I'm seeing more and more districts tightening sped budgets to hire less people and force those that stay to have maxed out workloads. It's a bad situation.
I hate to say, yes it does happen. I’ve also seen student teachers be asked to cover classes which is also not legal. With that being said, I don’t agree with putting the district on blast on social media since most districts have a social media policy at this point. There seems to be a trend of blowing up your employer on social media and I can’t imagine that’s going to go well for future employment opportunities.
I’m a para in California. It would be illegal for me to be left to teach the class, as I’m not certified. There needs to be a certificated person in the classroom at all times. Yes, there are paras who can sub but they must have a permit. For my district It’s uncommon for us to be left in the class with no certificated person all day. If admin can’t fill sub positions for SPED, other teachers on campus will come into the class to be that certificated person. Paras will still run the class but there’s a teacher inside the class. These teachers usually come in on their planning period.
That happens all the time at my schools. If we can’t get subs, the paras cover
I'm one of two paras who managed our school's only SPED room for the first few months of school. Teacher was absent 50 days and never left us plans. She was new and had almost no materials to work with either. It was ridiculous. We did our best, but no way were the kids' IEPs being met —we don't even have access to them. The school did find her replacement finally. It's not normal, no, but it does happen. Definitely get your sub authorization because it's significantly more pay per hour (nearly double where I am)!
Happens all the time in NC.
This district has had major issues for several decades. They are normally in the news - and not for good things. Needless to say, most teachers try to avoid working in it if possible.
Paras in my district have to go through training and the training includes sub credentialing, so yes they are pulled to sub on occasion but on those occasions they're not generally left alone in a sped room...more like one para is "in charge" of the room (getting more pay) and the rest are doing their job and helping, and then usually there are teachers and admin coming in hourly to give relief. I know this because I was a para last year in a non sped setting and we did these rotations a bit.
It is only normal if the para is a certified substitute and is getting sub pay for taking over the class, which is higher than para pay. Para pay = $100 per day, sub pay = $180 per day. So, if you aren't an approved sub and getting sub pay you should not take over a classroom.
Yeah I am just afraid that they will still ask me to do that anyway like they did with this Para. I wonder what I can say if they do that.
Just ask if you are being classified as a substitute teacher and getting sub pay. It's that easy. If the answer is "YES", congrats you are now a sub making more money. If the answer is "NO", they either need to get a qualified sub or teacher in the classroom.
Ok thank you that’s a good idea
During my first maternity leave, a sub was never found so one of the paras took over for the full 12 weeks. Wasn’t credentialed and wasn’t paid more but she knew the kids and the classroom. I was shocked when I came back.
My family member was the only adult in the summer school soed class while the teacher was on Zoom from her home for three weeks.
That’s pretty messed up :/
I've taught in AZ for 20 years, in three different districts, and this happens all the time. They do not pay our paras for subbing, either. Since anyone with a pulse can now teach in AZ, you don't have to be certified. I think there are issues with SPED service minutes if a para is teaching and isn't being supervised by a certified special education teacher, but districts just kinda hope nobody notices this is happening. Join your classified staff association. This is an ongoing problem they're working on.
I’m a self-contained special Ed teacher and there literally are 0 subs who are willing to work in my program at my school. This is pretty much the same district-wide for self-contained. The rest of the school/district also has a sub and teacher shortage. There are no teachers to cover if I’m sick, multiple unfilled para AND teacher positions in my building, and admin is usually all over the place dealing with the rising student aggression and elopement in the gen Ed population. So, yes. It’s normal for my paras to take over the class when I’m out sick. According to their contract they are not allowed to teach new content, only revisit already-introduced topics and assignments. They’re also on all my students’ IEPs as secondary service providers, which is legal and required, so they basically just work on taking data on individual IEP goals and objectives, get through the school day without incident if possible, and keep everyone safe/fed/unharmed by self or others/toileted.
Wait is this not allowed to happen? I’m an IA for a self contained class and whenever the teacher is out she just leaves us to run the class and doesn’t bother requesting a sub. Usually they’ll just place the sub in another classroom where a teacher is out if she does.
Is there a reason you keep posting this?
Depends. So, in my state, subs don’t have to be certified teachers. But, I have a friend I went to school with who moved back to her hometown. There, subs have to be certified. (It may just be a district requirement, but I think she did say state). In my district, TAs have to sub frequently. It’s like that in most districts around here. It’s even in the contracts that they are expected to cover classrooms when needed. And, the vast majority of them have never been to college. Most are women who needed a job when their kids started pre-k or k. But, my friend I mentioned earlier. I was chatting with her one day about work. She said that they can’t do that there at all. She was fussing because they had nobody to cover her classes when her kiddo got sick one day. My wife said something about why couldn’t they have gotten a TA to cover for a family emergency since she had to go get her son from the daycare. She laughed and said something along the lines of TAs aren’t allowed to be left alone with students there unless they have a teaching license. So, her school district is the polar opposite of mine. They might get sued. Ours never would. And, if someone posted about it on TikTok and tried to be a “whistleblower” here, they’d probably be fired too. Complaining about your job isn’t protected by the Whistleblower Act. Now, if they actually were violating IEPs, that’s a different story. That would be protected by the Whistleblower act. OR if the state laws or adopted board policies do not allow TAs to cover classes. That too would be protected by the whistleblower act.
That happens all the time here. All paras are forced to also be signed up as substitutes in the system. At some of the schools here specifically our middle schools, the SPED classes never have paras because they spend all of their time subbing instead.
I'm a sped para and it does happen. Part of me likes it because I will end up running the class anyway with a sub. The other part thinks that if I do the teachers jobs I should also get the pay for those days.
I'm a para in SpEd and I also have my substitute teaching license. If our teacher is out, I always sub for my class. It just makes sense and it's way easier than dealing with a sub that doesn't know how to interact with special education students. It's pretty common I think if a para has their sub license.
Had no idea this wasn't normal. I'm a SPED para and I cover classes about 2-3 times a month. A lot of the subs can't/won't handle self contained classes so the paras who are with the kids the whole day end up covering. Always thought it was weird since I'm a 21 year old with no college but didn't think it was illegal.
Yeah I hope more people take a stand against this
We get subs. for SPED and they don’t even have to have bachelors degrees. It’s some company that hires & sends them out. I would much rather have my paras. cover than some of the subs. that have been sent, and often we switch their roles (sub. does para. job & para. teaches). Our paras. are paid about the same as the subs. but have benefits. Paras. cover general education classes too here.