Today,on Education Support Professional (ESP)Day, we recognize and honor the over 2.8 million K-12 and higher education ESPsnationwide
… who work tirelessly everyday to keepschools, colleges, and universities operating from morning to night.
… who work passionately to take care of ournation’s students.
… who ensure a healthy and safe schoolenvironment for fellow staff and students.
ESPsare vital members of the school community making up 40% of all school staffnationwide. Today’s national day of recognition focuses on the importance ofthese school employees and the role they play in academic achievement andschool success.
Many ESP jobshave a direct impact on health and safety:
- Health and student services staff such as school nurses and health aides perform medical procedures, dispense medications, help students manage chronic diseases such as asthma, and work with families to encourage student immunization.
- Custodialand Maintenance Staff are the guardians of the indoor environment. Theyensure that schools are properly cleaned,sanitized, and disinfected to prevent the spread of infectious disease.They also work to ensure that schools have goodindoor air quality and are free of biological and chemical pollutants such asmold and asbestos.
- Foodservice workers serve safeand nutritious food to students and staff while taking special precautionsfor students with dietary needs or food allergies.
- Clerical staffsuch as school secretaries often dispensemedications to students when a school nurse or health care aide is notavailable.
- Security Officersensure the safety and security of students, staff, and school property, andare prepared to handle incidences of violence,bullying, and schoolcrises such as natural disasters.
- Paraeducatorsoften work with medically fragile students, dispensing medications andperforming sensitive medicalprocedures.
- Transportationstaff such as school bus drivers ensure that students are transported toand from school, field trips, and sporting events safely. They are oftenresponsible for handling situations involving violenceand bullying.
- Skilled tradesworkers such as heating,ventilation, and air-conditioning mechanics ensure that schools have adequate ventilationand comfortable temperature and humidity levels.
- Technicalservices personnel such as computer support techs and programmers ensure that computerlabs are set up safely to prevent slips, trips andfalls and fire hazards. They also check to make sure computers are set upcorrectly to prevent ergonomicinjuries.
Weknow that the school environment impacts student and staff morale and performance,so join us in recognizing ESPs for the many hats they wear and their manycontributions to health and safety! For more information about ESPs, visit NEA’s ESP Quality website.