Public Employee Press

Grievance halts drug counselor’s 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 school’s 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 agency’s 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.”