HRES297-119

That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that— paraprofessionals and education support staff— should be compensated at a rate that is a livable, competitive wage; should have access to high-quality, affordable health care and health care benefits at a de minimus personal cost; should be considered to be eligible employees under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.); should be entitled to 16 weeks of paid family and medical leave; should have paid leave for all planned and unforeseen school closures, including weather-related closures, professional development days, and other short-term closures; should have access to meaningful and free or affordable professional growth and development opportunities during regular paid working hours that provide a path to career advancement; should have sufficient resources and supplies to enable them to do their job effectively and efficiently, including up-to-date technology; should have access to training and appropriate personal protective equipment; should have representation in organizations that determine policies that may affect the working conditions of paraprofessionals and education support staff; should receive notification and the opportunity to provide significant input about the implementation of electronic monitoring, data, algorithms, and artificial intelligence technology in the applicable school and should receive high-quality professional development as new technologies are introduced; should have adequate notice and opportunity to participate, when appropriate, in individualized education program meetings, behavior intervention team meetings, and other similar meetings relating to the students the paraprofessionals and education support staff support, to the extent permitted by law; should experience a safe and healthy working environment free from recognized hazards that cause or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm; should experience appropriate staffing levels to ensure that students have adequate support and that paraprofessionals and education support staff can complete their jobs effectively, efficiently, and safely; should receive adequate notification regarding the duration of their employment; should have an employment contract that includes a provision for the automatic renewal of the contract at the expiration of the contract, rather than the automatic termination of the contract at such expiration, and a provision for termination of employment for just cause, rather than termination of employment at will; and should have a process for reporting workplace issues and concerns to their employer in a manner that protects paraprofessionals and education support staff and other employees from retaliation; in recognition of the importance of collective bargaining in maintaining good working conditions, employers of paraprofessionals and education support staff should— engage in good faith negotiations; strive to reach timely and just contracts that fairly compensate and protect paraprofessionals and education support staff; refrain from replacing paraprofessionals or education support staff who engage in a strike; and refrain from locking out such workers; and nothing in this resolving clause should be interpreted to supersede, or as an expression of the House of Representatives support for any law that would supersede, employment terms or conditions agreed upon in collective bargaining agreements that are more beneficial to paraprofessionals and education support staff than those described in this resolving clause.