BILINGUAL AIDES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION USED AS INTERPRETERS

This is a long story but it is only the beginning... Background: I am a bilingual instructional aide in special education. I have worked at the same school for about 7 years now. I was initially asked to interpret for an IEP meeting as a favor. I was the impression it was voluntary. For 5 years I was the only aide doing it. I was pulled out of the classes I was servicing students in, resource and/or LH students. Over time, it started to conflict with my job duties as an instructional aide. Sometimes I even interpreted through my lunch/nutrition and was then told to return to class. Other times, I worked over time. At first, I was allowed to leave early but then I was told I could not do that. Instead, I had to note it on my time card. I was not paid for that extra hour. It created problems for me. I was not paid extra for doing it although they had initially had someone else from outside of the district to interpret for IEP meetings. Current: I gave notice to my department chair that I no longer wanted to be the unofficial interpreter for IEP meetings because not only was it conflicting with my job but it was not fair that I should have to put up with some of the injustices that was being done to me. I was so young when I first started that I allowed it to happen. Now, as I've gotten older and wiser, I have started to cherish my rights as an employee. A meeting was called in September of 2004 to discuss using bilingual instructional aides as interpreters for IEP meetings. Their solution was to have the aides write their names in an "IEP calender" so each can be rotated to interpret. A majority of the aides were not able to attend. I felt this was wrong because it is not in our job description to do so. I felt it should be voluntary as I had volunteered myself all those years. I also felt their should be some reforms and guidelines. I thought a possible increase in pay for the hour(s) we were interpreting would also be fair. I asked the department chairs and assistand principal who were present at the meeting if it truly was voluntary or mandatory. I went to my union rep and she told me that it was voluntary because it was not in my job description nor duties. We were also told that another meeting would be held to clarify this with the other aides. This meeting did not take place and the aides that were not informed. I went on maternity leave and could not address the issue until I returned in January 2005. I had gone to the assistant principal, union rep, and department chairs but nothing was resolved. So, as a last itch effort, I went to the superintendent. I emailed her. She forwarded it to the assistant super intendent, and from their a meeting was scheduled between the director, assistant principal, principal, and I to address the issues I felt were never genuinely resolved. I asked if a coworker of mine could attend with me since we had the same concerns. We had asked a rep at our site to represent us but he felt he wasn't qualified enough. So, my coworker became my rep. When we proceeded, she was not allowed to go in with me and I was in a room with three administrators alone. As for aides being used as interpreters for IEP, the director told me it was mandatory and expected of us. If one was asked and declined, then it could be documented as "refusal". Although the director tried to justify using us as translator for IEP documents as well, the principal did point out that it was against the law and we had a district translator where IEP documents had to be sent to. There were other issues I discussed, but these were the core ones. I was accused of "rallying up aides" but the truth of the matter was I was asked by a couple of aides if whether or not it was mandatory to be an interpreter for IEP meetings. I told them, according to what was said to me in September 2004, that it was voluntary. I realized that it was never addressed nor clarified to the aides as a whole. I did not spread any form of propaganda or have group meetings with anyone. It was always genuinely between a coworker of mine ( an aide that also had been interpreter for 5 years) that shared my concern. Both of us have addressed it to administration. We not doing anything behind their back, per se. It was agreed up by the administrators and I that a meeting would be held with all the aides to clarify the matter. Well, it hasn't happened. I told my union rep that the director had contradicted what was said to me back in September 2005. I called my union rep at the regional office and he told me right away that they had violated my rights as an employee to not have been allowed to have representation at the meeting. We were split up. When I returned from spring break, I was given a memo and asked to sign. I did not sign it and took it home to read it. The memo was from the director. It was a "summary" of the meeting that took place but it was inaccurate because things that were said that were of vital importance were not included. It was one sided. I proceeded to write a memo of my own but have not handed it yet. I am going to speak to my union rep. Nonetheless, today, the assistant principal or some administrator of the school had a meeting with the special education teachers. They were told that "a couple of aides were rallying up other aides by bringing up past issues". The assistant principal also came and told my supervising teacher that they were going to have yet another meeting with me because I was bringing up "past issues" and starting commotion. This was wrong on their part. There is no proof of their accusation simply because I have not done that at all. I puposely don't discuss with anyone else except with my coworker who is involved and my union reps. I feel they are trying to intimidate and trying to discredit my coworker and I in some way. I even question their true intentions of holding the meeting with all the aides as they had said they would, twice. My question is, what can I do? I am trying to go through standard procedure but I sense they are starting to step over the boundaries of how they are handling issues. Has this ever happened to anyone? There is more to this story but this was the jist of it. Please, any advice welcomed.