The following email was sent from School Counselors Chapter Leader Rosemarie Thompson to all school counselors on Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021.

I hope your school year is off to a great start. I know we’ve run into some obstacles with the return to full-time in-person learning, but I also know how grateful the students are to be back together. I hope the information below will make your work easier in the weeks to come.

Please feel free to contact me or the UFT contact center at 212-331-6312 with any questions or issues. Your union is here for you.

Teacher's Choice

The Teacher’s Choice program has been reinstated for the 2021-22 school year. For this school year, PPE purchases are permitted expenses. The allotment for school counselors is $110. See the UFT’s Teacher’s Choice page for more information.

Our last work day: June 30, 2022

It may only be October, but I’ve already received inquiries about our last work day of the school year. It’s Thursday, June 30, 2022.

Students who refuse to wear masks

I’ve also received inquiries about escalating consequences for students who refuse to wear masks. If a student refuses to wear masks, here are the steps that school staff should take:

• The school must document the incident in OORS
• The teacher must speak with the student
• The student is sent to a school counselor
• The student is sent to the administration
• A parent may be called to pick up the student

If the student continues to refuse to wear a mask, the student may receive up to a five-day principal suspension. Continued noncompliance or a second infraction could result in a 10-day superintendent suspension.

You can find more information about mask policy on the UFT website.

Vaccination requirement

All school staff should have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Oct. 1. There are a few medical and religious exemptions including documented allergic reactions.

UFT members who are not vaccinated but do not qualify for an exemption may choose between unpaid leave or a severance package. Both options include one year’s health coverage.

You can find more information about the vaccination mandate on the UFT website.

Social-emotional screenings

The DOE will soon being rolling out the required trainings on how to conduct the new social-emotional screenings and how to evaluate the data they produce. Some schools implemented their own screenings to identify students who need additional supports, but those screenings should happen in addition to the required screenings from the DOE.

Our trainings will be scheduled later this month and into November. They’ll be rolled out slowly. I’m still getting information about this from the DOE and will be in touch when I have a schedule and further details. However, feel free to contact me with any concerns or questions.

Update to procedures for temporary emergency staffing

With the vaccine mandate in effect, some schools may face temporary staffing shortages. The UFT worked to arrange flexibility to avoid schools combining classes and to keep students and members safe. However, the DOE did not renew the agreement after it took effect the first week of October.

We can be flexible when necessary, but we will not be exploited. Going forward, you may only be asked to perform job duties as delineated in your DOE-UFT contract. If you are asked to do anything else, please let us know immediately by calling 212-331-6312.

Read the message from UFT President Michael Mulgrew about this update.

The UFT’s Coronavirus Info Hub

The UFT continuously updates the website with policies and procedures related to the COVID-19 pandemic on the Coronavirus Info Hub.