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Public
Employee Press Grievance halts
drug counselors out-of-title teaching assignment
As a Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention Specialist
at the Dept. of Education, Local 372 member Patricia Chambers has educated and
counseled young students about the dangers of using drugs since 1988.
But
while working at MS 147Q in Queens, the veteran SAPIS II was assigned to other
duties that prevented her from doing that vital job.
I was really
doing work that was more consistent with what a teacher does, not a SAPIS counselor,
said Chambers.
Management at the Queens middle school teamed her up with
a guidance counselor and had them cover 14 classes per week with as many as 30
students in each class. This assignment prevented her from working with the more
at-risk students in grades six through eight. While ignoring the schools
own SAPIS counselor, the principal even brought in a U.S. Army representative
to talk about drug prevention.
Chambers contacted Schools Division Council
Rep Phyllis Wambser, who filed an out-of-title-work grievance on her behalf. During
a conference with Chambers and Wambser on July 1, 2009, DOE management agreed
to have the agencys Division of Human Resources conduct an audit of the
position to determine if Chambers was indeed doing out-of-title work. When the
desk audit was completed a week later, the DOE agreed with Chambers
that her assignments were inappropriate and transferred her to do real SAPIS II
work at IS 109 in Queens Village.
I really enjoy working with the
students at my new school, said Chambers, and I appreciate the work
of my Council Rep, who did a great job, and my union.
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