ARTICLE SIX

Jan 26, 2007 3:03 PM

HOURS OF PSYCHOLOGISTS AND SOCIAL WORKERS

A. Schedule of Hours

1. Psychologists and social workers shall have a continuous workday of six hours and forty minutes (six hours and fifty minutes effective February 2006) exclusive of lunch, which shall be not less than thirty minutes per day and no longer than the lunch period at the school or facility in which they are serving. Such workday shall be scheduled to start no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and to end no later than 4:00 p.m (3:45 p.m. in single session schools).
2. The workday of employees selected for after-school per session positions may be scheduled to start before 8:00 a.m. on days necessary to assure timely arrival of the employee at the per session site. The preference of the employee shall not be unreasonably denied. If denied, the reason shall be set forth in writing to the employee.
3. On professional development days, the school day shall be 6 hours and 50 minutes inclusive of lunch.[1]

B. Compensatory Time Off

Employees giving in-service courses approved by the high school superintendent or regional administrator shall be given equivalent compensatory time off.

C. Work Year

All psychologists and social workers shall report for regular workdays on the Thursday and Friday before Labor Day, and they shall be in attendance on duty thereafter on all days of the school year until the last week day in June.

The official school year calendar shall provide a one week February mid-winter recess which includes Washington's Birthday, without reducing the number of instructional days for students.

In no event, however, shall the number of days worked in any school year under this work calendar be fewer than the number of days psychologists and social workers would have worked had they reported, as before, on the Friday after Labor Day and worked through the last weekday in June.

School Psychologists and Social Workers shall report on Brooklyn-Queens day for professional development.

D. Staff Development

One of the five (5) days per year of menu-driven staff development currently available to school psychologists and school social workers shall be designated system-wide on a day when students are not scheduled to attend school. The joint UFT/Board Committee on Staff Development will determine the programs that are available.

Effective September 1998 the superintendency’s joint UFT/Board Staff Development Committee will select from the citywide menu a sufficient quantity of offerings to ensure that staff have the opportunity to choose from a variety of topics available on dates and at times throughout the work year. The superintendency menu will include activities sponsored by the New York City Public Schools, outside agencies and professional organizations. Non-menu activities or activities on the menu not identified as a superintendency offering may be chosen in consultation with the in-discipline supervisor. Supervisory approval is required for non-menu items or activities not identified as a superintendency offering.

Effective February 2006 two of the five days of staff development shall be mandatory and the subject matter and content shall be directed by the Board. One of the two days shall be designated system-wide on a work day when students are not scheduled to attend school.

E. Faculty Conferences and Open School Nights

Effective September 2002 school psychologists and school social workers shall attend open school nights and faculty conferences. However, effective February 2006 existing faculty conference time should be used for professional development.