UFT members who had questions about integrated co-teaching classes now have a blueprint of rules and protocols that schools should follow in serving students with disabilities.

It’s a victory both for educators who raised the issue and for the UFT chapter leaders and delegates who helped collect supporting data that highlighted the need for citywide guidelines. Crafted by the Department of Education in collaboration with the UFT and the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, the new document answers frequently asked questions about how ICT classes should be staffed and other important special education protocols.

In integrated co-teaching classes, a general education teacher and a special education teacher work in tandem in the same classroom in an effort to provide a more inclusive learning experience for special education students. The number of students with disabilities in an ICT class may not exceed 40 percent of the total class register with a maximum of 12 students with disabilities.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew said the new special education FAQ was a direct result of the online survey that delegates completed at the Delegate Assembly in December.

“Before we did the survey, when we’d bring up members’ concerns about ICT and other special education issues with the DOE, they denied there was a problem,” Mulgrew said in an email message to chapter leaders. “Your responses gave us the documentation that we needed to prove there were real issues with lack of common planning time for co-teachers, staffing and coverages, and much more. This FAQ should clear up any misconceptions so our students with disabilities get the support and services they need.”

The four-page FAQ includes information on who must participate in a meeting about a child’s Individualized Education Program; how the IEP team makes recommendations; the required components of a successful ICT program; who can request a re-evaluation of a student; and much more.

Carmen Alvarez, the UFT vice president for special education, said the FAQ will help ensure that special education programs are being properly implemented and supported in the schools.

“We are using this FAQ to make sure everyone is on the same page with regard to special education requirements and practices,” Alvarez said. “It creates an opportunity to develop a working professional climate for staff and administration that better serves our students with disabilities.”

Mulgrew urged UFT members who observe a failure to adhere to the special education rules and protocols as delineated in the FAQ to call their chapter leader’s attention to it. The chapter leader should bring up the matter at the next consultation committee meeting with the principal. If the issue cannot be resolved at that meeting, the chapter leader should ask for assistance from his or her UFT district representative.