More than 1,600 UFT members crowded Broadway from City Hall Park to City Hall in a Rally for RESPECT on April 2 – Paraprofessional Appreciation Day – to call on the New York City Council to pass legislation to give paraprofessionals an annual "RESPECT check" of $10,000 to help address a dire shortage of paraprofessionals
Paraprofessionals who work in District 75 in Queens show their solidarity at the rally.
Members hold signs and cheer as speaker after speaker at the rally explains why paraprofessionals need and deserve "RESPECT checks."
Paraprofessionals Chapter Chairperson Priscilla Castro rallies with members from District 27 in Queens.
UFT President Michael Mulgrew tells the crowd to turn and face City Hall and let City Council know that the union will fight hard to get the legislation passed.
Sandy Quach (left) and Laura Solano, paraprofessionals at Cultivating Hearts and Minds Pre-K Center in the Bronx, make their case for "RESPECT checks" with the signs they made.
"Without paraprofessionals, classrooms would crumble," TreVaughn Taylor, a paraprofessional at P721Q John F. Kennedy Jr. School in District 75 in Queens, tells the spirited crowd.
Paraprofessional Bettzyndia Ortiz (left) of Manhattan's PS 366 and paraprofessional Alica Ross and teacher Michael Gomez from P369 in Brooklyn send a message.
Paraprofessionals Samantha Gordian and Camille Folkes of P993, a District 75 program in Queens, make their voices heard.
Paraprofessionals hoist signs highlighting the importance of their work in schools.
It's all about "Para Power" during the Rally for RESPECT.
Paraprofessionals show off RESPECT T-shirts they received at the rally.
Paraprofessionals who work in District 75 in Queens show their solidarity at the rally.
Members hold signs and cheer as speaker after speaker at the rally explains why paraprofessionals need and deserve "RESPECT checks."
Paraprofessionals Chapter Chairperson Priscilla Castro rallies with members from District 27 in Queens.
UFT President Michael Mulgrew tells the crowd to turn and face City Hall and let City Council know that the union will fight hard to get the legislation passed.
Sandy Quach (left) and Laura Solano, paraprofessionals at Cultivating Hearts and Minds Pre-K Center in the Bronx, make their case for "RESPECT checks" with the signs they made.
"Without paraprofessionals, classrooms would crumble," TreVaughn Taylor, a paraprofessional at P721Q John F. Kennedy Jr. School in District 75 in Queens, tells the spirited crowd.
Paraprofessional Bettzyndia Ortiz (left) of Manhattan's PS 366 and paraprofessional Alica Ross and teacher Michael Gomez from P369 in Brooklyn send a message.
Paraprofessionals Samantha Gordian and Camille Folkes of P993, a District 75 program in Queens, make their voices heard.
Paraprofessionals hoist signs highlighting the importance of their work in schools.
It's all about "Para Power" during the Rally for RESPECT.
Paraprofessionals show off RESPECT T-shirts they received at the rally.
Paraprofessionals who work in District 75 in Queens show their solidarity at the rally.
Paraprofessionals Samantha Gordian and Camille Folkes of P993, a District 75 program in Queens, make their voices heard.
Paraprofessionals hoist signs highlighting the importance of their work in schools.
It's all about "Para Power" during the Rally for RESPECT.
Paraprofessionals show off RESPECT T-shirts they received at the rally.
Paraprofessionals who work in District 75 in Queens show their solidarity at the rally.
Members hold signs and cheer as speaker after speaker at the rally explains why paraprofessionals need and deserve "RESPECT checks."
Paraprofessionals Chapter Chairperson Priscilla Castro rallies with members from District 27 in Queens.
UFT President Michael Mulgrew tells the crowd to turn and face City Hall and let City Council know that the union will fight hard to get the legislation passed.
Sandy Quach (left) and Laura Solano, paraprofessionals at Cultivating Hearts and Minds Pre-K Center in the Bronx, make their case for "RESPECT checks" with the signs they made.
"Without paraprofessionals, classrooms would crumble," TreVaughn Taylor, a paraprofessional at P721Q John F. Kennedy Jr. School in District 75 in Queens, tells the spirited crowd.
Paraprofessional Bettzyndia Ortiz (left) of Manhattan's PS 366 and paraprofessional Alica Ross and teacher Michael Gomez from P369 in Brooklyn send a message.
Paraprofessionals Samantha Gordian and Camille Folkes of P993, a District 75 program in Queens, make their voices heard.
Paraprofessionals hoist signs highlighting the importance of their work in schools.
It's all about "Para Power" during the Rally for RESPECT.
Paraprofessionals show off RESPECT T-shirts they received at the rally.
Paraprofessionals who work in District 75 in Queens show their solidarity at the rally.
Members hold signs and cheer as speaker after speaker at the rally explains why paraprofessionals need and deserve "RESPECT checks."
Paraprofessionals Chapter Chairperson Priscilla Castro rallies with members from District 27 in Queens.
UFT President Michael Mulgrew tells the crowd to turn and face City Hall and let City Council know that the union will fight hard to get the legislation passed.
Sandy Quach (left) and Laura Solano, paraprofessionals at Cultivating Hearts and Minds Pre-K Center in the Bronx, make their case for "RESPECT checks" with the signs they made.
"Without paraprofessionals, classrooms would crumble," TreVaughn Taylor, a paraprofessional at P721Q John F. Kennedy Jr. School in District 75 in Queens, tells the spirited crowd.
Paraprofessional Bettzyndia Ortiz (left) of Manhattan's PS 366 and paraprofessional Alica Ross and teacher Michael Gomez from P369 in Brooklyn send a message.
Paraprofessionals Samantha Gordian and Camille Folkes of P993, a District 75 program in Queens, make their voices heard.
Paraprofessionals hoist signs highlighting the importance of their work in schools.
It's all about "Para Power" during the Rally for RESPECT.
Paraprofessionals show off RESPECT T-shirts they received at the rally.
Paraprofessionals who work in District 75 in Queens show their solidarity at the rally.
