NYC special education staffing shortage leaves students in limbo, teachers union charges
At one Bronx school for students with significant disabilities, a single staff member must push multiple students in wheelchairs through the hallways.
In Queens, students with disabilities miss out on traveling to job sites to learn basic career skills because there aren’t enough staff to supervise them.
And across New York City, some students languish at home because they are not allowed to ride a school bus without a dedicated aide.
In each instance, students with complex needs aren’t getting the support they are legally entitled to due to a shortage of paraprofessionals, teacher aides who form the backbone of the city’s special education system. Survey results released Wednesday by the United Federation of Teachers underscored that the situation is most severe in District 75, a network of schools that serve students with disabilities who need more support than typical schools offer.
Paraprofessionals are tasked with a wide range of duties, from tending to students with behavioral issues, breaking down classroom lessons into manageable chunks, helping potty train, and accompanying students who need assistance on bus rides to and from school.
To read the full article visit: https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2024/11/20/nyc-paraprofessional-shortage-hurts-students-in-district-75-uft-charges/?utm_source=Chalkbeat&utm_campaign=f6a7825fc5-New+York+NYC+special+education+staffing+shortage+l&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9091015053-f6a7825fc5-1296335606&mc_c
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