Sample ESP Day Press Release
For Immediate Release
[Insert Date]
Contact: [Insert contact name]
[Insert phone number]
[INSERT ORGANIZATION NAME] HOSTS "ESP DAY" EVENT
Event is Part of the National Education Association's
Nationwide American Education Week Celebration
[Insert City, State] — To recognize and honor the more than 2.9 million education support professionals providing services such as clerical and administrative support, transportation, food planning, nursing and health, security and technical support, today the National Education Association and its 3.2 million members are celebrating Education Support Professionals Day. The celebration is part of NEA's 87th annual American Education Week taking place November 15-21, 2008.
Education Support Professionals Day will help draw attention to AEW's tagline, "Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility." The tagline represents NEA's vision of calling upon all Americans to do their part in making public schools great for every child so that they can grow and achieve in the 21st century.
"By participating in Education Support Professionals Day, we will be joining millions of people nationwide in celebrating the hard work, dedication and invaluable services our education support professionals provide," said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. "They are unsung heroes who drive our students to school, help them cross the street, provide them with nutritious meals, serve as partners in educating our children and keep school buildings safe, operational and clean."
Education support professionals include the following:
- Paraeducator employees who provide instructional and noninstructional support as partners in student learning
- Clerical service employees who are the front line of public relations with parents and staff and the community
- Custodians who pay constant attention to all safety conditions in schools
- Maintenance service employees who are responsible for heating, ventilating, air-conditioning and overall safety for the entire school environment
- Transportation service employees who are the first and last person(s) seen by our students in a day
- Food service employees who provide the most basic component of student achievement: nutrition
- Skilled trades employees who are responsible for the physical quality of our school building environments
- Health and student service employees who are vital to student health and welfare within a public school
- Security service employees who are responsible for the safety and security of students, staff community and campus property
- Technical service employees who provide essential technical services throughout a school district
Education Support Professionals Day was first celebrated in 1987 after NEA's Representative Assembly, the Association's annual convention of nearly 10,000 member delegates, called for the creation of a way to honor contributions of school support staff. Today's support professionals provide services that enable students to learn in positive, supportive environments. Education Support Professionals Day is observed on Wednesday during American Education Week.
About American Education Week
NEA's American Education Week presents all Americans with an opportunity to honor individuals who are making a difference in ensuring every child receives a quality education. The weeklong celebration spotlights the different people who are critical in building great public schools for the nation's 50 million K-12 students. American Education Week’s celebration days include:
- Monday, November 16: Open House Day. From national commemorations to local events, Americans will celebrate public education.
- Tuesday, November 17: Parents Day. Schools will invite parents into the classroom for a firsthand look at what the school day is like for their children.
- Wednesday, November 18: Education Support Professionals Day. Individuals who provide invaluable services to schools are recognized for their outstanding work.
- Thursday, November 19: Educator for a Day. Community leaders will be invited to serve as educators and get a glimpse of a day in the life of a school employee.
- Friday, November 20: Substitute Educators Day. This day honors the educators who are called upon to replace regularly employed teachers.
To help plan and promote American Education Week's celebration days, NEA is offering an online toolkit, complete with promotional materials, activity ideas, and downloadable templates. For more information on American Education Week and to download material from the toolkit, visit www.nea.org/aew.
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