Web Corner
Important bookmarks!
Oct 19, 2006 10:55 AM
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Most of you have noticed by now that the Department of Education has changed its URL to http://schools.nyc.gov. This clearly positions schools under the auspices of the mayor and New York City government. Even though you can reach the site’s homepage using the old .edu domain name, that’s just a temporary convenience for users.
If you have bookmarked any DOE pages in your “favorites” folder, you will also need to change those URLs to access the sites. For instance, to access all the school calendars, if you bookmarked www.nycenet.edu/calendar you will need to change that to http://schools.nyc.gov/calendar. But it’s not that simple for all DOE bookmarks, so here is a list of some that I think you should add to your favorites.
I think one of the most important links is the Division of Human Resources where you can click on “career opportunities” to view links to job postings. (The DOE is still adjusting to its new URL because on some postings there is a link to www.nycenet.edu/oeo. Just change that to http://schools.nyc.gov/oeo and it will work. )
Then scroll down in the “Most Popular Clicks” category and you can find information about the Direct Deposit program, Transit Checks and employee discounts. You can also access the salary step and differential application forms, and you can find the form to update your personal information. The Occupational Safety and Health information is very important, especially the regulations affecting bloodborne pathogens.
Check your salary status on the Payroll page and if you go to “Tools and Resources” on the left-hand side navigation you click on “DHR Forms” for most of the forms you would get from a school secretary. Health and welfare benefits information is also here so look at those pages to learn about paid sick leave and the Employee Blood Donor program.
If you think you don’t get enough information about DOE regulations and you want to learn more about school discipline codes, then you should check out the Chancellor’s Regulations. Look at Chancellor’s Regulation A-443 about Student Discipline Procedures to see if your school complies with the regulations.
The introduction says:
“The Chancellor is committed to ensuring that school is a safe and secure environment for all students and staff. Toward that end, students must be taught that they are responsible for their behavior, that there are standards of behavior with which they must comply and that there are consequences when they do not meet those standards.”
With all the attachments, this is a 93-page document, but it’s illuminating reading.
Make sure you also read Chancellor’s Regulation A-420 — Pupil Behavior and Discipline-Corporal Punishment. Knowledge of this regulation could save your career. Also take a look at Chancellor’s Regulations A-750 that speaks to reporting suspected child abuse.
Now I don’t want to start a conflict, but how many schools are implementing A-850 about recycling waste? The regulation says: “Recycling must be implemented in all school buildings, office buildings and any other facility under the jurisdiction of the Board of Education.”
As was reported earlier in the New York Teacher, more than 2,700 UFT members were able to successfully transfer last school year with the Open Market Transfer Plan. That’s more than nine times the number of members who were able to transfer annually under the old seniority plan during the previous school year.
If you want to take advantage of the transfer plan, you should bookmark this page, but be aware that the DOE may change this URL when the new transfer period opens again. However, if you do decide you want to transfer, how do you know if the school with the posted vacancy is a desirable one?
The first thing you should look at is the statistical information about the school at Our Schools. Here you can read about the school as reported by the administration and see the results of standardized tests and how the school compares to other demographically similar schools in the city. However, if you want to get the skinny about a school, then you may want to look at the reviews posted by staff on the UFT’s Grapevine. In fact, you should post a review of your school at the same URL. Remember your review is strictly confidential.
Upcoming Web Corner columns will feature additional Web site addresses for your surfing convenience.
