RA Action:

News from the NEA Annual Meeting

July 5, 2008

Resolutions Amendments, New Resolutions, and Set-Asides:

This page will be updated during the Representative Assembly, and will reflect daily Resolutions exactly as they are printed in RA Today, our official convention newspaper.

New A. District Consolidation/Deconsolidation Supplementary Report

Set aside for discussion

Submitted by
Dan Marzoni, Arkansas

B-41. Fine Arts Education Supplementary Report

Amend by deletion on page 7 of the Supplementary Report, lines 25-26, “[and as a requirement for high school graduation].”

Rationale
None

Submitted by
Dan Marzoni, Arkansas

New B. Expanding Student Graduation Options
Preliminary Report

Amend by addition on page 34 of the Preliminary Report, line 15, “New B. Expanding Student Graduation and Promotion Options.” Amend by addition on lines 16-17, “public high schools should expand graduationand promotionoptions for students.” Amend by substitution on line 20, “in determining[promotion and graduation]graduation and promotion requirements.”

Rationale
Many states with exit exams equate graduation to receiving a standard diploma, and as such, prohibit students with special needs who do not receive a diploma from participating in commencement exercises. These students have met their individualized education program (IEP) goals and all other requirements.

Submitted by
Ed Amundson, California

C-2. Nutrition Preliminary Report

Amend by addition on page 35 of the Preliminary Report, lines 14-16, “The Association also supports nutrition programs that are regulated by uniform standards, readily accessible, medically correct for students and employees who have special, documented dietary needs, and are supported by public funds.”

Rationale
We have many students and employees who have diabetes, severe food allergies, or other restrictions to personal diet. Many of the students come from family circumstances that cannot provide daily special food from home to meet the dietary needs of the children. Also, by schools not correctly meeting the nutritional needs of said students, there could be a case of liability if a student suffers a reaction because of ingesting food contrary to diet needs.

Submitted by
Sandra Hatley, North Carolina

C-18. Environmentally Safe Schools Preliminary Report

Amend by addition on page 38 of the Preliminary Report, line 25, “Further, school districts must complete corrective actions to eliminate the problem in a timely manner and report the results of said action.”

Rationale
Many times tests occur, and results may even be publicly reported, but no corrective action follows and the problem continues. Therefore, employees and students continue to get sick, and in some cases, die.

Submitted by
Sandra Hatley, North Carolina

D-1. The Teaching Profession Supplementary Report

Amend by addition on page 11 of the Supplementary Report, line 27, of new letters (a) and (b):

    “a. Cares about each student and is able to establish an appropriate, professional relationship with each student that communicates caring
    b. Is organized, efficient, and fair in the use of resources and time and allows students a voice in classroom management, procedures, and processes.”

Rationale
Teaching is about relationships and caring about students. Classroom power must be shared to be successful.

Submitted by
Nancy Lewis, Oregon 

F-47. Medication and Medical Services in Schools Supplementary Report

Amend by substitution on page 15 of the Supplementary Report, line 4, “education employees [must] should be notified of students with life threatening illnesses/conditions.”

Rationale
We agree in concept but some laws/regulations may prohibit this disclosure.

Submitted by
Todd Rush, Nevada

New F. Contingent Faculty and Professional Staff Protection Preliminary Report

Set aside for discussion

Rationale
The reference to contingent faculty requires new language to clarify that contingent faculty are not the problem to be solved. Refer this resolution back to Winter 2009 Resolutions Committee to develop this language with contingent faculty input.

Submitted by
David Milroy, California

I-15. Family Planning Preliminary Report

Amend by addition on page 79 of the Preliminary Report, lines 19-20, “supports family planning, including the right to reproductive freedom with no position on abortion.”

Rationale
By inserting the words “with no position on abortion” after the words “reproductive freedom,” we will be inviting conservative teachers to rejoin our ranks in standing up for public education. We are an organization that loves children, and our jobs depend on them. Why would we have a position on a procedure that could eliminate our jobs?

Submitted by
Ruth Boyatt, Ohio

New I.  Right of Redress for Descendants of Slavery
Supplementary Report

Amend by addition on page 19 of the Supplementary Report, lines 35-36, “the nation’s decision to allow and the acceptance of ownership of labor, the practice of violating treaties, slaughter of innocents, displacement of indigenous peoples—including the forced relocation and the re-education of children—were morally flawed.  Amend by addition, line 37, “descendants of those who served in bondage, or were deprived of life, land, language, resources, and culture, possess just cause to seek redress.”

Rationale
If NEA is to take a position on this issue then we should include similar or worse situations against human and civil rights. Atrocities and unjust treatment of peoples indigenous to the land of our country have been overlooked for too long.

Submitted by
Stephen Knipp, Illinois

New I. Right of Redress for Descendants of Slavery Supplementary Report

Set aside for discussion

Submitted by
Joseph Williams, Jr., Tennessee

New I. Congressional Declaration of War

New resolution submitted from the RA floor*:

    The National Education Association believes that any president who starts a war with another country without a congressional declaration of war should be impeached.

Rationale
The Iraq War. Trillions of dollars and thousands of lives lost.

Submitted by
Justin Hughey, Hawaii

New I. Privatized Military Organizations

New resolution submitted from the RA floor*:
    The National Education Association believes tax dollars should not be spent on privatized military organizations.

Rationale
Trillions of dollars that could have been spent on education or on our own military continue to be wasted every war.

Submitted by
Justin Hughey, Hawaii

New I. Profiting from War

New resolution submitted from the RA floor*:
    The National Education Association does not believe that any corporation or individual should profit from war.

Rationale
Trillions of tax dollars that could have been spent on our troops and education will never be recovered because war profiteers continue manipulating legislation for their own monetary gain.

Submitted by
Justin Hughey, Hawaii

*Note: Standing Rule 10.F provides that all new resolutions to be submitted from the floor for consideration must have a majority of the vote to be placed on the agenda (heard) and a two-thirds (2/3) vote to pass.