TK/EC-K12 Council gets to work at SPED Summit
CFT members from throughout the state are gathering this week for the annual TK/EC-K12 Special Education Summit. The summit is an opportunity for union leaders and special education teachers and staff to take part in professional development, connect, and strategize about how we can strengthen our advocacy for many of our most vulnerable students.
The summit this year includes professional development on Universal Design for Learning, Finding Strengths when Supporting Students With Disabilities, and a demonstration from Digital Promise on Learning Variability.
Thanks to all who are taking part in the summit and to all the special education teachers and support staff who do the work every day!
AFT Higher Education Issues Conference at UCLA a success
Faculty and staff from dozens of colleges and universities gathered at UCLA last week for the first AFT Higher Education Professional Issues Conference since before the pandemic. Conference attendees from across the country shared experiences, brainstormed solutions, and rallied. The focus of the conference included preserving funding for higher education, championing academic freedom—a precious element of learning that is increasingly threatened—addressing job security at every level, and ensuring that the academic enterprise serves the public good.
Thanks to all the CFT members who attended the conference, and to those who worked so hard to make it a success. And thanks to CFT Secretary Treasurer Lacy Barnes, who co-chairs the AFT's Higher Education Program and Policy Council and took part in putting the program together. Read more from AFT.
A picture is worth a thousand words!
Dr. Jessica Saint-Paul, a licensed physician’s assistant, educator, and Los Angeles College Faculty Guild (Local 1521) member, is pictured above with President Biden at an event that took place this week in Los Angeles.
Saint-Paul had her loans forgiven (over $100,000) through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, after twenty years of payments on her loans including interest while working in public education. Because of this forgiveness, she is now able to stay in her faculty job and be able to purchase a home. Her family also welcomed a child into their home just two weeks ago!
On Wednesday she introduced President Joe Biden who announced student loan forgiveness for 153,000 more borrowers. As of this week, the Biden administration has now approved nearly $138 billion in student debt relief for close to four million Americans through various actions.
Read more about Jessica’s story on the CFT website.
(Photo credit: The White House Twitter account)
Non-binary high school student, Nex Benedict, dies a day after being beaten in high school bathroom
On February 7, 2024, Nex Benedict, a student at Owasso High School in Oklahoma, was brutally beaten by three other students in the school bathroom. Nex tragically died the next day.
All students, including LGBTQ+ students, are protected by federal laws, including Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Learn more about LGBTQ Student Rights.
The death of Nex Benedict is understandably causing fear and anger in many students and their families. GLSEN has created extensive Educator Resources to help students. This reading list from Share My Lesson seeks to empower LGBTQ+ students. The ACLU has free-to-use open letters that students and families can send to school administrators in the case of anti-LGBTQ bullying and harassment, protecting transgender students and their school records.
To learn more about violence against the transgender and gender expansive community, the Human Rights Campaign released a report from 2023.
Make sure to review CFT’s Educators Choice Voter Guide before you cast your ballot for the March 5 primary election.
