Editorials
Put ICE on ice
Teachers and students should be able to focus on learning, rather than on whether ICE agents are stationed nearby looking for parents and caregivers. The UFT calls on the city and Department of Education to update its policies and protocols regarding interactions with non-local law enforcement and expand support and resources for English language learners and immigrant families.
Take play seriously
Preserving opportunities for play and experiential learning in early childhood and elementary education is not a departure from academic excellence; it is an investment in the well-rounded development and long-term success of every child.
Choice is clear for NY
The national Educational Choice for Children Act, tucked into the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Congress passed last summer, is bad news for public education – and New York must not opt in.
Protect U.S. workers
The UFT urges U.S. senators to pass the Protect America’s Workforce Act to give federal workers the right to collective bargaining and safe workplaces and a way to redress grievances.
Provide for providers
The UFT welcomes New York mayoral and gubernatorial support for expanding 3-K and pre-K and launching a new 2Care program to care for the city's youngest children, but argues that the city's home-based, family child care providers must be fairly compensated for such goals to be achieved successfully.
‘Black’ eye for DOE
In a tremendous show of solidarity and the power of union organizing, hundreds of UFT members across District 21 in Brooklyn wore black in support of their colleagues at PS 99 in their struggle with their principal.