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Substitute Paraeducator Handbook

WELCOME

Welcome to the substitute paraeducator staff of the Lincoln Public Schools! You are a very important and vital component in the educational system of Lincoln. We believe that students deserve the opportunity to learn from, and with, adults who truly care about them. All of you are uniquely qualified in one way or another to help our students and staff.

I realize the work you do is not easy. Many of you are awakened very early and report to a different assignment daily. Frequently you go to work in a new building, with new students and new staff each day of the school year. In spite of the difficult situation in which you are placed, you are able to touch the lives of your students by your words and actions.

Thank you for accepting the important role of a substitute paraeducator in the Lincoln Public Schools.

Dr. Nancy Biggs
Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources

INTRODUCTION

The service that substitute paraeducators provide the students in the Lincoln Public Schools is invaluable. Every day many persons take assignments with little advance notice and little orientation from the schools and assist the district in continuing the educational program for the students. This handbook was developed to provide you with some of the general information that substitutes deem important. Specific instructions for a particular assignment will be provided at the location. If you have questions that are not answered in the booklet, please feel free to contact the principal in the building you are working or the Human Resources Office. We appreciate your willingness to assist us in providing a quality education to the students every day of the school year. Best wishes for a successful year.

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Statement

In concert with the Equal Employment Opportunity Policy, Lincoln Public Schools ascribes to the concept of affirmative action. An Affirmative Action Plan has been developed to achieve school district goals for the recruitment, selection and retention of racial and ethnic minorities and women in non-traditional positions. The objectives of affirmative action programs and activities are anchored in the tenets of civil rights, anti-discrimination laws and the pluralistic practices of Lincoln Public Schools.

All district employees are directed to comply with and support the provisions and goals of equal employment opportunity and affirmative action policies and to promote their implementation in every aspect of service to the district.

It is the policy of Lincoln Public Schools to provide equal employment opportunity to all persons. The policy reflects the requirements and provisions of federal, state and local laws and regulations which prohibit unlawful discrimination against persons in employment and conditions of employment due to race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, disability, political affiliation or status as a veteran. Equal employment opportunity policies serve to ensure open communication of employment opportunities and the evaluation of job candidates based upon specific job-related criteria.

Any employee who believes that he/she has been discriminated against should:

Bring such actions to the attention of the appropriate supervisory authority in the department or division;
If the aggrieved person does not wish to communicate directly with a supervisor in his/her department, or if communication has been ineffective, the employee should contact the Affirmative Action Officer within the Division of Human Resources.

Anti-Discrimination and Harassment

Purpose: Lincoln Public Schools is committed to offering employment opportunities in a climate free of discrimination. Accordingly, unlawful discrimination or harassment of any kind by supervisors or coworkers is prohibited. In addition, the District will endeavor to protect employees from reported discrimination or harassment in the workplace by students, and other non-employees.

Discrimination or harassment based on a person’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, age, marital status, or veteran status is specifically prohibited. The following are general definitions of what might constitute prohibited harassment:

a. In general, ethnic or racial slurs or other verbal or physical conduct relating to a person’s race, color, religion, disability or national origin constitute harassment when they unreasonably interfere with the person’s work performance or create an intimidating work environment.

b. Age harassment has been defined by federal regulations as a form of age discrimination. It can consist of demeaning jokes, insults or intimidation based on a person’s age.

c. Sexual harassment has been defined by federal and state regulations as a form of sex discrimination. The Lincoln Board of Education is committed to providing an environment free from unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct or communication constituting sexual harassment. Sexual harassment by and of Lincoln Public Schools employees and students is prohibited.

It shall be a violation of school district policy to harass another employee sexually, to permit the sexual harassment of an employee by an employee or a non-employee, or to harass or permit the harassment of a student sexually. Sexual harassment may take many forms, including, but not limited to:

a. Verbal harassment or abuse including unwelcome sexually oriented communication;

b. Subtle pressure or requests for sexual activity;

c. Unnecessary touching of an individual, e.g., patting, pinching, hugging, repeated brushing against another person’s body;

d. Requesting or demanding sexual favors accompanied by implied or overt threats concerning an individual’s employment or student’s status;

e. Requesting or demanding sexual favors accompanied by implied or overt promise of preferential treatment with regard to an individual’s employment or student’s status; or

f. Sexual assault.

All employees are responsible for helping to prevent discrimination or harassment. Any person who believes he / she has been subjected to discrimination or harassment should follow these procedures:

a. You should directly inform the person engaging in the discrimination or harassment that such conduct is offensive and must stop.

b. If you do not wish to communicate directly with the person whose conduct is offensive or if direct communication with the offending person has been ineffective, you should contact your principal or supervisor or the principal of the offending person, or contact the Title IX Officer in the Human Resources Office.

c. If you have reported the matter to a principal or supervisor, but the offending conduct continues or has not been resolved to your satisfaction, you should then report the matter to the Title IX Officer in the Human Resources Office.

d. You should be aware that there are also provisions for students to contact teachers or other adults in the school to report problems with discrimination or harassment which they may be facing. If you are the adult to whom the student has made a report, you should immediately forward the report to the principal or the supervisor of the school or to the Title IX Officer in the Human Resources Office so that the matter can be properly resolved.

Allegations of harassment or discrimination shall be investigated and if substantiated, corrective or disciplinary action shall be taken, up to and including dismissal from employment if the offender is an employee, or suspension and / or expulsion, if the offender is a student. Retaliatory action will not be taken against an employee for reporting discrimination or harassment.