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What Is the PSRP Bill of Rights?
The PSRP Bill of Rights is a declaration of all the deeply important work that school and college support staff do. It expresses that the work of support staff too often goes unrecognized in profoundly unsustainable ways. And it creates a framework of working conditions that anyone working in an educational setting deserves to have, including:
- Livable, competitive wages.
- Access to high-quality, affordable healthcare and healthcare benefits.
- Paid leave for school closures.
- FMLA and paid family leave.
- Meaningful paid professional development and career advancement opportunities.
- Training and personal protective equipment.
- A voice at work and in professional changes.
- Attendance at IEP, BIP and other meetings related to students receiving support.
- A safe and healthy workplace.
The Bill of Rights is a national and state campaign to implement the core principles above. Through bargaining and state and federal legislation, PSRPs are at the forefront of the Bill of Rights agenda. In 2025, California and Louisiana enacted into law version of the PSRP Bill of Rights. Efforts are underway in other states to enact similar provisions, and we are working at the federal level to pass the Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Bill of Rights. You can show your support by writing a letter to your lawmakers and asking 5 of your colleagues to do the same.
Tell Congress to pass the Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Bill of Rights
Who are PSRPs?
You might not think you know who paraprofessionals and school-related personnel are, but we guarantee that you know us.
We are the people who open the school building before first light and lock the door well after dark.
We are the people behind the wheel of the school bus who greet you with a smile as you step aboard.
We are the people who make sure the bathrooms are neat, clean and freshly stocked with soap and paper products.
We are the people with the kind smiles who scoop a little extra mashed potatoes on your lunch tray when you tell us you are extra hungry after a tough football practice.
We are the people you wave to on the mower as we roll by on our way to prep the field for the big game.
We are the people trusted to give you good advice when you are facing a tough situation.
We are the people you talk to in the registrar’s office who help you get signed up for classes and sort out your financial aid package.
We are the people who help you figure out how to format a lab report in freshman biology.
We are the people who sit next to students and help them sound out new words for the first time.
We are the people who keep you safe in an emergency.
We are painters, mechanics, paraprofessionals, nursing assistants, registrars, secretaries, administrative assistants, bus drivers, coaches, laboratory technicians, school resource officers, food service specialists, library specialists, instructional assistants, parent liaisons, playground supervisors, crossing guards, custodians, cafeteria aides, IT specialists, maintenance workers, clerks, groundskeepers, bus attendants, campus schedulers and so much more.
If there is something that needs doing in a school or college, then more than likely the hands of a PSRP helped make it happen. We clean it, cook it, fix it, drive it, paint it, type it, schedule it, plant it, file it and generally keep everything working as it should so students can focus on learning, growing and thriving.
We are the heart and souls of our schools and colleges. We are PSRPs!
The Cost of Undervaluing PSRPs
The PSRP Bill of Rights is about justice, dignity and respect for working people. Schools and colleges are complex institutions with many interconnected pieces that all must function well together for the whole institution to run smoothly. When you picture an employee of a school or college, you probably think of a teacher or professor. But what really makes these institutions run smoothly are all the people behind the scenes who support the work that we typically think of.
For the teacher or professor to do their job, there are dozens of school and college support staff that first must do theirs. The custodian slips their key in the school’s front door before the teacher has stepped out of the shower or had their first cup of coffee. The cafeteria staff are warming ovens and counting milk containers as teachers are pulling into the parking lot. The bus driver begins prepping their bus before dawn to ensure students arrive on time for their teacher to say “good morning” as they enter the classroom. Library assistants and campus store employees order textbooks and stock shelves months before freshman move-in day. Registrars enroll students and double-check graduation requirements weeks before the professor passes out their syllabus. Groundskeepers trim the field and paint the lines before the coach has chosen which players will start in the defensive lineup for the big game.
Support staff play a crucial role in our country’s educational institutions. The profound task of educating the next generation in schools and colleges across the country would grind to a standstill without the work done by paraprofessionals and school-related personnel. We cannot afford to undervalue the contributions of school and college support staff. Every PSRP employee deserves:
- A living wage.
- Affordable, high-quality healthcare.
- A safe work environment.
- Worthwhile training and professional development.
- The tools, training and staffing to do their jobs effectively and efficiently.
- The ability to take care of themselves and their family if they get sick.
- A voice in decisions that affect their work.
School and college support staff do more than just the tasks they are assigned to do. PSRPs build relationships with the students they work with, helping them develop not only academically, but also socially, emotionally and morally. The cost of undervaluing the work school and college support staff do is immeasurable.