PSRP enews | May 2025

Protect our children—all our children

One of President Donald Trump’s first actions this year was to rescind the long-standing policy that immigration raids would not be allowed in sensitive places—such as schools, hospitals and places of worship—because they should be safe and welcoming havens. Entire communities are now living in a state of constant fear, and why not? They see what happened to Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The Trump administration admitted it had shipped him off to a tropical gulag by mistake but now refuses to bring him home to his wife and kids. Find resources on the AFT’s immigration webpage. Watch the video about Abrego Garcia. And then tell your members of Congress to demand that Trump end this terrible anxiety and cruelty by reinstating the protection of schools, hospitals and churches.

AFT Voices: Becoming a paraprofessional

Special education paraprofessional Jeff Whittle started supporting children with disabilities as a volunteer in junior high school. It’s a job he has loved for decades. But now he finds himself in a strange new era with a president of the United States who wants to slash education funding and even eliminate the Department of Education. We must fight back, Whittle writes in AFT Voices. With all the chaos going on in Washington, D.C., it’s more important than ever that we carry our work on behalf of children to Congress, the courts and the court of public opinion.

Trump halts $1 billion in school mental health grants

At the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Month, AFT President Randi Weingarten castigated the Trump administration for stopping $1 billion in school mental health grants. Weingarten warned in USA Today that “school shootings will only multiply” if student mental health programs are wiped out. Hundreds of schools nationwide received letters saying their programs violated civil rights laws. “Really? Does this administration have to impose its ideological whims on everything? Even, apparently, on bipartisan grants passed after the murder of students and educators in a school shooting?” Congress created the program after a horrific 2022 mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Weingarten added: “This is a direct attack on the safety and well-being of America’s children—a repugnant act of moral vandalism that will endanger millions of lives.”

A special book club event with Ali Velshi

Join AFT President Randi Weingarten and MSNBC’s Ali Velshi for the May meeting of the AFT Book Club, featuring his new book Small Acts of Courage: A Legacy of Endurance and the Fight for Democracy. In this conversation on May 18 at 6 p.m. EDT, Velshi will share how everyone can have an outsized impact on democracy and civil society. This book club event is a call to action.

Supporting students when numbers don’t add up

In this webinar from AFT Professional Learning, educators will explore dyscalculia, the math-related learning disorder that impacts how students understand and work with numbers. Learn what dyscalculia is, where it comes from and how to recognize it. Designed for paraprofessionals, teachers, interventionists and administrators in grades 3-12, this session offers practical strategies and tools to support students and make math more accessible for all learners. All educational providers are invited to attend this session; however, classroom practitioners are most likely to benefit.

Why you should attend TEACH

Discover why AFT TEACH this July is the favorite conference of fellow union member Amber Chandler. In her blog post on the AFT’s Share My Lesson, Chandler describes how the conference offers unbeatable professional development, meaningful in-person connections and sessions that empower paraprofessionals, all in a vibrant, union-strong atmosphere. Don’t miss out on early-bird savings through May 15 and the chance to recharge with fellow educators from across the country. In short, Chandler says: TEACH is the best bang for your buck. Register here.

How hip-hop lets students heal from trauma

Although hip-hop has long been misunderstood, it’s more than just a musical genre. Hip-hop is a multifaceted form of expression that engages young people worldwide in processing their fears and joys, working through trauma and learning from each other. Working at a credit-recovery high school in the South Bronx, J.C. Hall founded the Hip Hop Therapy Studio program to provide culturally resonant treatment through artistic media. In the current American Educator, he shares the research behind his approach and how his students’ lives are being transformed.