Essential School Workers Seek More Support

lunch-safe-3
lunch-safe-3

As Michigan celebrates Labor Day, some of those who support K-through-12 learning say their contributions are being taken for granted. There are thousands of food-service workers, school nurses, and secretaries throughout Michigan, and Jeff Whittle with the Macomb Intermediate Federation of Paraprofessionals says they are essential for schools to work. He tells us many support staff workers will be back to the job this fall without adequate health and safety measures in place.

“Everybody’s competing among themselves to get their own PPE. A paraprofessional told me that their school district told the support staff that they would have masks for the teachers – but the paraprofessionals would have to provide their own masks.”

There are calls for Congress to include the “Essential Workers Bill of Rights” in the next COVID-19 relief package. Whittle says this would provide essential workers access to hazard pay, paid family leave, safety protections, and other supports. Federal funding for school safety measures included in the HEROES Act has been stalled in the U.S. Senate since May.