TodayTodayThe Official Publication of the Vermont-National Education Association • www.vtnea.org

Vermont-NEA

Vol. 81 No. 2 • October, 2013

Read on...

Did You Know...If you have taken any ap-proved leave during your career - for child rearing or even another job - that time on leave counts toward your retirement. All you have to do is contact the state re-tirement office and let them know.

Making Common Sense Out of Common Core Important for all of us, p. 8

Vermont Feeds Hungry Children

President’s View, p. 2

Why some of you couldn’t register for retirement seminars, p. 3

Woodstock Union High and Middle Schools TA’s Jennifer Stainton

Please see CALENDAR, p. 4

Please see REPORTING, p. 6

‘Calendar 2.0’ Questions Abound

Abuse ReportingEveryone’s Business

A regional proposal to shave two weeks from summer vacation for students and educators in northwestern Vermont is generating a lot of com-ment and shows that the proposal is raising more questions than it is answering.

Called Calendar 2.0, the proposal would replace the traditional calendar with one that has:• Periodsofseven-week“regular”ses-sions.• Two-weekbreaksinwhichstudentsneedingadditionalhelpwillbeabletoreceiveinstruction, while other students have vacation.• Theschoolyearwouldbeginaweekearlier in August, and end a week later in June, leadingtoaneight-weeksummerbreakratherthan the traditional 10-week summer.

Your statewide union has taken no formal posi-tionontheproposal,believingthatdiscussionsabouttheschoolcalendararebestheldatthelocal level, among local educators, their school boardsandtheircommunities.Theassociation,

however,wantstoensurethatthesignificantquestionsraisedbythisproposalbeaskedandanswered, taking into consideration the educa-

Recent stories in the press have highlighted thestate’smandatoryreportinglaw.Vermont-NEAabhorsanyabuseofachildatthehandsofanyone.Assuch,weworkwithlawenforce-ment,childwelfareofficersandotherschargedtoprotectvulnerablepeopletohelpmakesurethatabuseisstoppedonceit’sfound.

Aseducators,youareallmandatoryreportersofabuse.We’vecompiledaseriesofquestionsandanswerstohelpremindyouofyourobligationsunder the law.

Theobligationtoreportsuspectedabusetostateauthoritiesisseriousandabsolute.Wearepro-vidingthisinformationtohelpourmembersun-derstand what the law requires them to do, and whattheconsequencesoffailuretodosomaybe.Inshort,ifyouareamandatoryreporterandhaveanydoubtaboutwhethertomakeareport,youshoulderronthesideofmakingareport.

1. Why are there "mandatory reporters?"

Generally,mandatoryreporterlawsaredesignedtohelpprotectchildrenandvulnerableadultsfromabuse,orcontinuingabuse,byfamilymem-bers.Indeed,no"familymember"iseverlistedasamandatoryreporter.Rather,adultswhotypicallyhavecontactwithchildrenandvulner-ableadultsinothersettingsare.Theselawsalsoaddressabusebynon-familymembers.

2. Who within public schools are mandatory reporters?

Allschoolemployeesandcertainotheradultswhoworkinschoolsforotheremployers.

Note:Thereportingobligationextendsbeyondtheworkplace.Amandatoryreporterawareofsuspectedabuseisobligatedtoreportitwhetherthe suspicion arises at work or elsewhere.

2 October 2013 Vermont-NEA Today

MarthaAllen

President’s View

Vermont-NEA Today / The Official Publication of Vermont’s Largest Union10 Wheelock Street / Montpelier, VT 05602 / p 802.223.6375 f 802.223.1253 / vtnea.org

Martha Allen, President Joel D. Cook, Executive Director / Darren M. Allen, Communications Director

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

keep connectedwww.vtnea.org

www.facebook.com/vermontneawww.twitter.com/vermontnea

Alison Sylvester, V. President

Steve Owens, Sec.-Treasurer

Eric Weiss, NEA Director

Cathy Mander-Adams, Chitten. 1Richard Wise, Chittenden 2

Katie Rose Chittenden 3VACANT, NE Kingdom 1

Jay DiGiulio, NE Kingdom 2VACANT, So. Vermont 1

Molly Pratt, So. Vermont 2VACANT, So. Vermont 3

Darcey Fletcher, NW Vermont 1Deb Bedrin, NW Vermont 2Lance Mills, Upper Valley 1VACANT, Upper Valley 2

Donna Constant, Cent. Vermont 1Linda Howard, Cent. Vermont 2

Rose Wenzel, Add/Rut. 1Ted Lindgren, Add./Rut. 2

Vermont Feeds More Hungry Students

Onethingweallknowisthatahungrychildsimplycan’tlearninthesamewaythatwell-fed children learn.

Foryears,schoolpersonnelhavecopedwiththisproblem,sneakingsnackstostudentswhoarehungry,payingfortheirschoollunches, and offering some food for the child totakehomeontheweekend.Wehaveseenthisproblemworseningandnotmuchhasbeendonetorectifyit,untilnow.

During the 2013 legislative session a law was passed that will provide free lunch to our students on the reduced-price lunch program. SecretaryofEducationArmandoVilasecaandGovernorShumlinpromotedthisbillinthelegislature. Both the House and Senate signed on and we are thrilled that thousands of Ver-mont’schildrenwillbereceivingfreelunchthisschoolyear.Vermontisthefirststateinthe nation to address childhood hunger with a law such as this one.

According to 2011-2012 data, 41% of Ver-mont’sstudentsqualifyforfreeorreduced-priceschoolmeals.About31,000studentsqualifyforfreeschoolmealsandabout6,000additionalstudentsqualifyforreduced-price

schoolmeals.Itisevidentthattherearemanyfamiliesthatdonotapplyforthereduced-priceschoolmeals,butwiththenewlawstart-ingthisschoolyear,HungerFreeVermontexpectsmorefamiliestoparticipateandthatisa good thing.

Unfortunately,thislawisonlyonesmallpartofthesolution.OneinfiveVermontchildrenliveinafoodinsecurehousehold.Notonlydothesechildrenstruggleacademically,theyalsomaysufferfromhealthproblems,obesity,andmentalhealthissuessuchasdepression.Itisatragicsituationforthesechildren.Whatwereallyneedtodoisprovideschoolmealstoallchildren,regardlessofincome.Thiswouldremove the stigma associated with free and reduced-price lunch programs and allow all childrentothriveacademically.

JanetPoppendieck’sbook,“FreeforAll:Fix-ingSchoolFoodinAmerica,”speakstothisissue.Ifmealswereprovidedtoallstudents,theycouldparticipatewithoutstigma.Morestudents would eat the school meals and it wouldbecomeapartoftheschoolcommuni-ty.Schoolmealprogramswouldbecomemorefinanciallysecureandthenutritionalqualitywouldimprove.Thenextstepforourpublicschoolsistomovetowardthe“FreeForAll”recommendations.

WearefortunatetohaveHungerFreeVer-montinourstate.Theirmissionistoendthe injustice of hunger and malnutrition in Vermont.ProgramDirectorDorigenKeeneypresented this information to the PreK-16 Council last week. She informed the council

thatHungerFreeVermontiscurrentlywork-ing on: determining the cost of the current schoolmealsystem;helpingschoolstoenrollmorestudentsinsubsidizedmeals;workingwithschoolstoofferfreebreakfast;encourag-ingbreakfastafterthebell;workingtoembedfoodandnutritionintotheschoolcommunity;Makingsureallstudentshaveaccesstohealthymeals;and,helpingstudentsdevelophealthyeatinghabitsandbefoodself-sufficient.Thisorganizationisontherighttrack.TolearnmoreaboutHungerFreeVermont,visittheirwebsite,www.hungerfreevt.org.

According to the Center for American Progress (2011) child hunger costs Vermont $336 million annually.Itisahealthproblem,aneducationalproblem,andaworkforceandjobreadinessproblem.Wemustinvestinourchildrenbyfeeding all of them. All of Vermont’s fami-liesshouldbecomefoodsecure.Itjustmakessense.

Theschoolyearisunderwayandyouaregettingintothedailyroutine,gettingtoknowyourstudentsandplanningforthesemester.Hopefully,youwereabletorechargeoverthesummerbreakandarefilledwithenthusiasmthisnewschoolyear.Iunderstandthatyourjobsareincrediblycomplicated,stressfulandexhausting.

Maybe,justmaybe,thismovetofeedmoreofyourstudentswillhelpinsomesmallway.IhopethatyounoticeadifferenceandItrulyhope that all of our children receive enough foodtothriveinourpublicschools.

Vermont-NEA Today October 2013 3

Your Benefits

Why Couldn’t I Register for Seminars?Last month in this space, we ran the notice of ourannual–andimmenselypopular–“RetireWithSecurity”seminars.Weletreadersknowwhentheywerescheduled,whichoneshadalreadybeenfilledtocapacitybypresstime,and how to sign up for them.

But,asatleast200ofyouknow,everysession–saveone–wasalreadyfulllessthanadayorsoafterthepaperhityourmailbox.Frustrating?Upsetting?Youbet.Buthardlyunpredictable. Forthelastfouryears,we’vebeentryingtosteermemberstoallofourelectronicmeans

ofcommunication:ourweekly@vtneaemail;ourFacebookandTwitterfeeds;andourownwebsite.Thereasonissimple:webreaknewsvia those channels, and offer more in-depth coverage of issues in these pages. Morethan8,000ofyoureceiveourweeklyemails,andnearly1,000ofyouarefollowersof our social media feeds. Over the course of a year,wegetmorethanahalfmillionuniquevisitstoourwebsite.Inshort,awholelotofpeople are getting a whole lot of information in close to real time. As a result, the retire-mentworkshopsfilledupveryquickly,asweexpectedtheywould.

Ifyouweren’tabletogetintotheretire-mentworkshopofyourchoice,wesincerelyapologize.Butforthe240ofyouwhodidgetin,weknowthevastmajorityofyoulearnedaboutthemviaourelectroniccommunicationchannels.

Won’tyouconsidersigningupfor@vtnea,followingVermont-NEAonFacebookandTwitter,andmakingapointtovisittheas-sociation’swebsiteatleastweekly?

We’lltryandalwaysmakeitworthyourwhile.

Your Interests Drive Our Political ActionOverthepastthreeyearswehaveseenun-precedented attacks on unions, the middle-classandpubliceducation.

FromWisconsintoOhiotoNewJersey,politi-cal leaders from state to state have pushed to takeawayyourrightsaseducatorsandunionmembers.InVermont,thepictureisalittledifferentbutnowisthetimetobemoreactiveandengagedtohelpensurethetoxiceffortstaking place just across the river in New Hampshire don’t spill in to Vermont.

Weareputtingtogethernewgrassrootsgroups across the state comprised of Ver-mont-NEA activists and local leaders to help engage in ongoing and continued education,

organizinganddevelopmentofpolitical,legislative and professional issues. Political Education Action Committees (PEAC) will workinasimilarwayasRegionalBargainingCommittees(RBC)doandwillbesetupbyUniServDistrict,butwithadistrictcharge.PEACswillmeetapproximatelysixtimesperyear–everytwomonths–andwillideallyhave a representative from each local associa-tion in their area.

ThePEACswillberesponsiblefor:

•CoordinatingandconductingVermontSenate and House of Representatives candi-date interviews for recommendation to the Vermont-NEA Board of Directors.

•Developing,planningandexecutinglocalmemberengagement,organizingandactionon electoral and legislative issues throughout theyear–includinglocalschoolbudgetandschoolboardelections.•HelpingdevelopthelegislativeagendaforVermont-NEAandorganizingaroundissuesofconcerntolocalmembersinyourlocalcom-munities.

To learn more or to get involved -- the first meetings begin October

3 -- please contact your political organizer, Colin Robinson, at

crobinson@vtnea.org

4 October 2013 Vermont-NEA Today

Your Profession

CALENDAR, from p. 1

Calendar Changes Prompt Questions

tional merits, the timing of implementation and the effects on the communities of such a change.

AsChittendenCountyandthenorthwestgrapplewiththisproposedchange,itislikelythatotherregionsofthestatewillbecloselywatching.Therefore,evenifyourregionisnotdirectlyaffectedbythisparticularproposal,itisimportantforyouandyourassociationtobeawareoftheissuessurroundingCalendar2.0.

Students

•Whatistheevidencethatadoptingthiscal-endar would provide actual educational value for students? •HaveCalendar2.0proponentsruledoutotherapproachesthatcouldbelessdisruptiveto their communities? •Whatarethetransportationimplications?

Family, parents, and community

•Howwouldthiscalendaraffectfamiliesandthecommunity?•Whatconsiderationhasbeengiventothe

needs of parents who work? •Whatadditionalcostforchildcareorotherprogrammingforchildrenwouldbein-volved?•Whatconsiderationisbeinggiventolong-standingcommunityculture?•Whataretheschoolbudgetimplications?

Businesses

Howwouldthecalendaraffectlocalbusi-nesses(e.g.,impactonsummeryouthemploy-ment,summeryouthprograms,tourism,childcare)?

School employees

•Ifschoolisclosedduringabouthalfadozenpayperiods,whatprovisionwillbemadeforsupportstaffnotworkingduringthem?Willschoolsactuallyagreetospreadtheirpayacrossthecalendaryear?•Whataretheimplicationsforjanitorialstaff,and ongoing projects during the intersessions?•Whatassuranceistherethatprogrammingduringbreakswillbeprovidedbyprofes-sional staff? •Whatwillbetaughtduringthetwo-weekbreaks?•Willteachingassignmentsduringthe2-weekbreaksbe"voluntary?"Ifvoluntary,howwill

assignmentsbemade?

Student welfare

•DoesCalendar2.0contemplateprovidingstudent nutrition programs during the two-weekbreaks?Willfoodserviceworkersbeondutyduringthesetwo-weekperiods?•Whatconsiderationhasbeengiventotherelationship of Calendar 2.0 to sports and related calendars?•Whatconsiderationhasbeengiventoteacherpreparationprogramneedsandinterests?Inparticular,havethoseprogramsbeenconsult-ed regarding the impact Calendar 2.0 might have on student teaching assignments?

Decision-making

Vermont law does require superintendents in each region to develop the school calendar. Towhatextent,however,havelocalschoolboards-therepresentativesoflocalcommu-nities-beenconsultedandinformed,andtowhatextenthavetheiropinionsbeenincorpo-rated into the decision-making process?

Towhatextenthavethesuperintendentsgiven consideration to the interests of the communitiestheyserve?

Common Core Needs Common Sensecessfullyimplementanysetofstandards,wemust do it in the right order. And we must do itinawaythatisfullyaligned.Theadoptionof the Common Core State Standards was just the start of this process and it is up to us to ensure we get it right.

NEAmembersmadethispointloudandclearinSeattleearlierthisyearwhentheymountedanenergetic(andsuccessful!)communityboy-cottofthedistrict'sMAPtest,anassessmenttool that didn't measure at all what teachers were required to teach in the classroom.

"Itwasn'taboutdenyingaccountability,"saidSeattle teacher and union leader Jesse Hago-pian at NEA's Joint Conference on Concerns ofMinoritiesandWomenonSunday."Itwasaboutdoingwhatparentsandteachersknewwasbestforourstudents."

Inthatsamespiritandconsiderationofwhat'sbestforstudents,educatorswhoattendedthe NEA RA this summer considered two measures.Thefirstisaptlynamed"Common-senseCommonCoreImplementation,"anditcalls on states and school districts to do this right--withthesupportofNEA.Thesecondcalls for a moratorium on the consequences of

high-stakes testing associated with Common Core until states and districts have worked witheducatorstocreateauthenticlocallydeveloped curriculum and assessments.

"Weknowthatnoteveryteacherwillbework-inginbuildingsordistrictswhereit'sdonewell,"saidDennisVanRoekel.Withthatinmind, the RA's action will ensure that teach-ers,parents,andcommunitymemberswillbesupportedinthestandards'implementa-tion and the development of assessments that match those standards. NEA understands that educators will need time to develop new and creative curriculum to teach the standards, plus time to practice new instructional tools thatmaybenecessaryoruseful,plustimetodesign authentic assessments that measure the concepts students must master.

NEA'sGreatPublicSchoolsnetworkandits new Raise Your Hand campaign, which launchesTuesday,promisestoprovideanav-enueforeducatorstoaccessresourcesastheymake that transition. Consider NEA's new partnershipwithBetterLesson,aCambridge-basedorganizationdedicatedtoworkingwithNEAtodistributeeducators'teachingexper-tiseacrossthecountrytoaidintheeffectiveimplementation of the Common Core.

Inthemeantime,criticsofCommonCoreshouldthinkhardaboutwhatthey'recriticiz-ing,VanRoekelsuggested."Whichstandardshouldn'tbethere?Istheresomethingmiss-ing?Whatisn'timportantforthestudentsofthiscountrytoknow?"heasked."Andwhatwouldyoureplacethemwith?Ifyousay'thecurrentsystem,'thenIsayno.Weneedtodobetterforourstudents."

COMMON, fromp.8

Woodstock Member NamedOutstanding Biology Teacher

Woodstock Union High and Middle School Teachers’ As-sociation member Jennifer Stainton has been named Vermont’s 2013 Outstand-ing Biology Teacher by the National Association of Biol-ogy Teachers. Stainton, has been at Woodstock for five of the 15 years she’s been teaching. According to the Valley News, she developed a ninth-grade science class that integrates chemistry, physics, biology and earth science.

Photo courtesy of (Lebanon, NH) Valley News.

Vermont-NEA Today October 2013 5

Your Profession

You TOLD Us. Now TELL Everyone.Morethan6,000Vermontteachersandsup-portprofessionalsrespondedtotheTELLVer-montSurvey,representingthelargestnumberof educators ever to give their opinions on the teaching and learning conditions in their school.

Someschoolshavealreadybegunusingthesurveyresults,andothersarejustnowidentifyingissuesthatcanbeaddressedsothatstudentachievementisaffirmedandimproved.Weknowthatschoolswithbetterlearningandteachingconditionsgenerallypostbetterstudentachievementandarebetterplaces to work.

Aseducators–includingadministrators–youaretheday-to-dayexpertsonpubliceduca-tioninVermont.ThroughtheTELLVermontSurvey,educatorshaveevaluatedtheteach-ing and learning conditions in their schools. Thisvoiceshouldbelistenedto,notignored.“Togetherwiththeiradministrators,localeducatorswillusetheresultsoftheTELLVer-montSurveytoidentifywhatworks,rectifywhat doesn’t and work together to ensure that schoolsbecomeevenbetterplacestoteach,workandlearn,”saidVermont-NEAPresi-dentMarthaAllen.

She and Professional Development Director JulieLongchamppresentedthepreliminaryfindingsoftheTELLVermontSurveytotheStateBoardofEducationlastmonth.Theboard’smembersaskedquestions,andwereveryinterestedinusingtheresultstodriveevenbetterteachingandlearningenviron-mentsinthestate’slocalpublicschools.Indeed,theboardaskedwhyprincipals,schoolboardsandsuperintendentsdeclinedtoparticipateinthesurvey.(Vermontistheonlystateinwhichthesurveyhasbeenadminis-tered not to have the participation of school boards,principalsandsuperintendents.)

TheTELLVermontSurveyisNOTapunitivetool.ItisNOTdesignedtodegradeanyone.Itismeanttobeastartingpointforarobust

collaborationamongteachers,supportprofes-sionalsandadministratorswhoshouldallbeinterestedinmakingtheirschoolsbetter–andinmakingsurestudentshavealltheyneedtosucceed.

Themostimportantaspectofthesurvey,of

course,isyouruseofittomakeyourschoolsbetterplacestolearnandbetterplacestowork.

Visit www.tellvermont.org to learn how to puttheTELLresultstoworkforyouandyourstudents.

1.Unionsallowworkerstobecomeunitedandtomobilizeandcometogetherduringtimesof collective agreements and negotiations. Unionizationisimportanttoraisethestan-dardoflivingforitsworkersandforsocietyand social programs.

2.Unionsmakelifebetterforpeopleevery-where.Evenifyouarenotinaunion,youenjoythingsthathavebecomethenormandaretherebecauseunionshavefoughtforthat.

Unionsaretheretoraiseeveryoneup--itshouldbearacetoatopnotaracetothebot-tom.

3. Unions help put fairness in the workplace. Peopleknowwhentheyarenotbeingtreatedfairly,andequateunionswithfairness.

4.Inaunionizedworkplaceyouhaveavoiceandanadvocate.Whetheryouareaworkerwithdisabilityorfromanothergroup,youhave a voice.

5.Aunionistheretobestrongandunitedandtobethereforworkersintheirstruggles.

6.Weliveinaglobalworld.Itisimportantthatunionscandointernationalsolidaritywork and stand up against human rights violations.

7.Unionsareinstrumentalinfightingforworkersrighttosafetyintheworkplace.Itisnewandyoungworkersthatareoftenhurtonthejob,andunionspushfortheirrights.

Inaworldwheretheroleofunionsiscon-stantlyquestionedandattacked,theseyoungworkers spoke to the heart of the matter of whyunionsmatter.

Reasons New Canadian Workers Value UnionsUNIONS, fromp.8

Young Canadian workers gather to talk about why unions are important to them and the economy.

Vermont-NEA’s Julie Longchamp and Martha Allen join Ken Page of the Vermont Principals Association and State Board of Education member Stacey Weinberger talk about TELL Vermont Survey.

6 October 2013 Vermont-NEA Today

Your Union

Abuse Reporting is Everybody’s Business

3. May anyone else make a report?

Anyoneelsemaymakeareport.

4. What triggers a mandatory report?

Children.AmandatoryreportermustreportorcauseareporttobemadetotheDepart-ment of Children and Families (DCF) if [s]he "hasreasonablecausetobelievethatanychildhasbeenabusedorneglected."

Vulnerableadults.AmandatoryreportermustreportorcauseareporttobemadetotheDepartmentofDisabilities,Aging,andIndependentLiving(DAIL)if[s]heknowsoforhasreceivedinformationofabuse,neglectorexploitationofavulnerableadultorhasreasontosuspectthatavulnerableadulthasbeenabused,neglectedorexploited.

5. What is the meaning of "child?"

A"child"is"anindividualundertheageofmajority."Theageofmajorityis18.

6. What is the meaning of "vulnerable adult?"

Inschools,a"vulnerableadult"isapersonatleastage18whois"impairedduetobraindamage…ordisability"thatimpairstheabil-itytocareforoneselforprotectoneselffromabuse,neglect,orexploitation.

7. When must a mandatory reporter report or cause a report to be made to DCF or DAIL?

Children.Within24hoursoffirsthavingreasonablecausetobelieveachildhasbeenabusedorneglected.

Vulnerableadults.Within48hoursoffirsthavingreasontosuspectavulnerableadulthasbeenabused,neglected,orexploited.

8. How is a report of suspected abuse to be made?

Call1-800-649-5285regardingchildrenorvul-nerableadults.DAIL(forvulnerableadults)listsanadditionalwork-hoursnumber:1-800-564-1612.

9. What should a mandatory reporter do if [s]he isn't sure that abuse (or neglect or exploitation) has occurred and wants to find out – to make sure [s]he has a good enough reason to report?

Calltoreportanyway.Theobligationamandatoryreporterhasistoreportorcauseareporttobemade.Conductinganinvestiga-tion,howeverlimited,tomakeanydeeperdeterminationisnotpartoftheobligation.

Infact,attemptingtoconductaninvestiga-tion,howeverlimited,mayverywellhurtthecapacityofDCF,DAIL,orlawenforcementauthoritiestodotheirjob,anditmaycausethe reporter to fail to report or cause a report tobemadeinatimelyfashion.

10. What if a school policy requires that a mandatory reporter report to an administra-tor?

Aschool'spolicymustbefollowed,butdoingsomaynotbesufficient.Apolicystatingamandatoryreporterfulfillsthelegalobliga-tiontoreportorcauseareporttobemadebyreportingtoaschooladministratorisnotcorrectunlesstheadministratoractuallymakesatimelyreporttoDCForDAIL.Iftheadministrator(despitealsobeingamandatoryreporter) does not follow through, the manda-toryreporterremainsobligatedtoreportorcauseareporttobemadetoDCForDAIL.

11. What if a school policy requires that a mandatory reporter not report directly to

DCF or DAIL?

Thatpolicyviolatesstatelaw,unlessineveryinstance a report to an administrator is fol-lowedbytheadministrator'stimelyreporttoDCForDAIL.

12. Won't my employer attempt to discipline me for failing to follow school policy?

Thelawprotectsfromretaliationindividualswho make reports in good faith, and it actu-allyenablesthemtosuetheiremployerforretaliation.

13. What if the general experience of report-ing to DCF or DAIL is slow or inadequate response?

Thatexperienceisirrelevanttothemanda-toryreporter'sobligationtoreportorcauseareporttobemade.

14. What happens if a mandatory reporter fails to report or cause a report to be made to DCF or DAIL?

Children.Itisacriminaloffensepunishablebyafineofupto$500.Amandatoryreporterwho fails to report and intends to conceal abuseorneglectmayfaceimprisonmentupto6monthsandafineupto$1000.

Vulnerableadults.Awillfulviolationisaciviloffensepunishablebyafineofupto$500forevery24-hourperiodareportisnotmadebeyond48hours,uptoamaximumof$5000.

15. Are there other potential consequences of a mandatory reporter's failure to report or cause a report to be made?

Licensed professionals who violate the man-datoryreportinglawsmayalsofacelicensingdiscipline.

REPORTING, from p. 1

Vermont-NEA member Amy Lester is one of thousands of supporters of paid sick leave for all Vermont workers. To learn more and help out with the campaign, visit www.vtnea.org/paidsickdays

Vermont-NEA Today October 2013 7

Your Union

Your Union

Vermont-NEA Today

vtnea.org

10 Wheelock Street Montpelier, VT 05602-3737

NON-PROFIT ORGU. S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 222

BARRE VT

Common Core Needs Common Sense

vtnea.orgvtnea.orgvtnea.orgvtnea.orgvtnea.org

By Mary Ellen Flannery, NEA Today

Teacherswantthepowertoteachcreativelyanddeeply,andtohelptheirstudentsachieveahigherstandardofsuccess.Theyalsowanttoensurethateverychild,nomatterwhotheyare,wheretheyliveorhowrichorpoortheyare,hasthesamelevelplayingfieldastheyreach to achieve their dreams through a good education.

TheCommonCoreStateStandardscanbeavehicletoachievethatvisionbutwehavetomakesuretheyaredonerightandthattheirimplementationisdrivennotbypoliticiansbutbytheverypeoplewhoworkeachdaytofulfillthepromiseofourchildren’sfuture–educators.

AsCommonCorebeginstounfoldacrossthecountry,theNEARepresentativeAssemblyispoised to take action this week to ensure that implementation of the new standards is done inwaysthatsupportteachers,thatensureweteachfirstandtestlater,andthatweachieve

theCommonCore'spromiseofequityforallstudents.Allstudentsshouldbeexpectedtolearn21stcenturyskillsandcontent,andtheexpectationswehaveforthemshouldn'tvarybasedonwhatstatetheyhappentolivein.

Thestandards,whichhavebeenadoptedby45statesbygovernors,DemocraticandRepublicanalike,setsahigherbarforallstudents, spelling out the skills and informa-tionthatstudentsshouldknowtobereadyfor college and career, and to make good on thepromiseoftheAmericanDream.Whenthe standards were developed, NEA and theAmericanFederationofTeachers(AFT)worked to ensure the voice of teachers was in-tegraltotheirdevelopment.Thesestandardsare not a 'federal mandate' as some conserva-tive politicians have espoused.

”Thestandardsareobviouslytheworkofteachers, said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel."Numberone,they'reclear.Numbertwo, there aren't a thousand of them. And numberthree,theyallcan'tbemeasuredus-

ingabubbletest.Thatwasnotbyaccident.It'sthe input of the people who knew what had to bedone."

But the standards -- and their promise of equi-tyforall--don'texistinavacuum.Misinfor-mation and just pure confusion has threatened tosetbackwhatcouldbeagiantleapforwardto improve teaching and learning in America's schools.Whatneedstobemadeclearisthatthe new standards must go hand in hand with appropriate student assessment and care-fullyalignedcurriculumanditshouldallbeshapedbytheeducatorswhoeverydaycon-nect students with their dreams.

StandardsdescribeWHATwethinkstudentsoughttoknowandbeabletodo.Acurricu-lumprovidessuggestedideasaboutHOWtoteachthosespecificstandards.Andassess-ments are the tests used to determine whether studentshavemasteredthestandards.Tosuc-

In Canada: Unions Matter to Young WorkersByTriaDonaldson,rabble.ca

Youngworkerstodayfacemanychallengesinthe workplace.

Enteringtheworkplaceisthefirstchallenge.Theyouthemploymentrateisalmostdoublethe national average, at 13.6 percent. You hear stories all the time of new graduates who are unabletofindworkintheirfield.Unpaidinternships and short term coop placements arethenormformanyworkers.

Jobinsecurityisrampant.Manyyoungwork-ershavetoworktwoorthreejobstomakeends meet. Part time and contract work is common.

Soaringhousingprices,lackofaffordablechild care and crippling levels of student

debtforgraduatesmeanputtingoffstartingafamilyformany,andstrugglingtomakeendsmeet for others.

ThesewerejustsomeoftheissuesidentifiedbyyoungworkersattheCanadianUnionofPublicEmployees'(CUPE)firsteveryoungworkersstrategysession.Thethreedaymeet-ingbroughttogetherover60youngpeoplefrom all across Canada to have their voices heardanddiscussgettingyoungpeoplein-volvedinthelabormovement.

Thereisaperceptionamongstunionactiviststhatyoungpeopletodayareapatheticanddon'tcareaboutunions,buttheconversationsoverthethreedaysshowthatyoungpeoplegetitandarereadytogetinvolved.

Thewordsbelowaretakendirectlyfrom

theyoungpeoplefromacrossCanadawhoparticipatedinCUPE'srecentstrategysession.Theyremindmeofthevitalworkthattradeunionsdoonbehalfofallsociety.

Please see UNIONS, p. 5

Please see COMMON, p. 4