You Should Know - School Counselors

School counseling regulations: Prior to the implementation of new school counseling regulations, school counselors used the Guidance Review Card to show the progress of students through grades 7-12. We are now required to complete Individual Progress Reviews (IPR) for each of our students as per the new regulations from grades 6-12 in STARS Classroom.

You may use the Guidance Review Card as a model when you meet with your students. Our meetings with students cover a wide range of topics; however, to help begin our conversations when we meet with them, you may use the card as a guide in individual and/or group sessions and during classroom presentations. Using the card is solely up to you. It is not meant to duplicate your work. Whether you use the card or not, all of your student's progress must be completed using the IPR in STARS.

Use your personal email for all union business: DO NOT use your DOE email address to conduct union business. To do so is a violation of the DOE's internet policy. All email correspondence about grievances and other union activities should be conducted using a non-DOE personal email address.

Teachers' tenure framework is not for functional chapter members: Functional chapter members, including school counselors, should be aware that principals may not use the teacher tenure framework as a rubric to assess functional chapter members' performance or make tenure decisions. The tenure framework only applies to tenure decisions for classroom teachers. If you have questions, please contact Rosemarie Thompson at rthompson@uft.org.

SESIS — Check here for information on SESIS arbitration. School counselors should confer with their supervisors to discuss adjustments to their schedules, if needed, to incorporate sufficient time in the work day to perform SESIS-related work.

Important information and DOE memos

• American School Counselor Association – The Role of the School Counselor
• Article J of Section 100.2 Regulations of the Commissioner 
  of Education — School Counselor Guidelines
• Chancellor's Memorandum #45, 1987-1988: Provisions for School Staff
  Important information to supplement Article 14 of the Guidance Counselors Contract.
• Contract Article 7: Assignments and Counseling Conditions
• Current guidance on repurposed time and school counselor hours
• DOE and UFT Brochure on School Counselors in NYC Public Schools
• Guidance on Advisory and Who Teaches It
• Principal's Digest — Labor Guidance on Strategic Staffing for Student Support Services
• Principal's Weekly guidance on administrative assignments — May 14, 2019
• Rating Sheet: Annual Professional Performance Review and Report on Probationary Service of Guidance Counselor
• Role of the Pupil Personnel Committee
• Salary schedules for proposed 2009-18 contract
• School Counseling Frameworks
• What every chapter leader should know about school counselors

Important arbitration wins

• Guidelines for DOE employees in excess who are rotating week to week
• "Cascade" Agreement: Excessing Rules of School Counselors and Social Workers
• Coverage Arbitration
  The UFT in August 2011 won an important grievance filed on behalf of guidance counselors at a Queens middle school who were forced by their principal to cover for the teacher assigned to their school’s SAVE room, instead of meeting with students that they were supposed to be counseling.