I hope you are having a great start to the school year.

It has been a busy beginning! Our new contract gives us greater voice in our schools and our profession, such as through our ability to help shape our own professional development.

I know, however, that there has been confusion over some provisions in the contract, which I address below.

We are having a meeting for new social workers and psychologists on Oct. 28. I have more information on that here and on upcoming membership meetings. I look forward to seeing you at these meetings!

Please feel free to contact me with any issues, concerns, questions or suggestions. You can reach me at vpressly@uft.org.

This is your chapter, and we are here to serve you.

Fraternally,

Vanessa Pressley
Chapter Leader

Our workday

As you know, the year began with some confusion over the repurposing of time under our contract. I would like to take this opportunity to review a few key points here.

Time reconfiguration: The reconfiguration of time is only for teachers in single-session schools or teachers in multi-session schools who have done a school-based option to change their schedule. The repurposing of time does not apply to social workers and psychologists.

Work hours: Our work hours continue to be 6 hours and 50 minutes exclusive of lunch, which shall be not less than 30 minutes per day and no longer than the lunch period at the school or facility.

Schedule changes: Because the reconfiguration of time applies only to teachers in single-session schools, it's unlikely that your school administration will try to change your schedule. But, if that happens, please make a written request asking for the 8 a.m. - 3:20 p.m. schedule, with a half-hour lunch period.

IEP meetings: You cannot be required to attend IEP conferences that occur outside of your regular workday hours. This also applies to the time each week set aside for teachers to do parent engagement. If the parent engagement time for teachers occurs after your regular workday has ended, which is the case at most schools, you cannot be required to attend IEP conferences during that time.

Parent-teacher conferences: Only single-session schools have the September and May parent-teacher conferences. If you are in a single session school, you have to attend all four parent-teacher conferences. During the September and March conferences, you need to attend for the full three hours. During the conferences in October/November and in May, you need to attend for only the first two hours and 10 minutes.

ATRs

Social workers in the ATR pool

Social workers who are in excess are receiving notification on Saturdays regarding mandatory interviews. The interviews are being conducted during the work week, on Tuesdays through Fridays. If you are in excess, you are not required to check your DOE email on the weekend, but you should check your DOE email on Monday mornings.

The interviews should be for positions in your license area and borough. The interviews are held during the school day. You must attend the interviews. ATRs who upon written notice of an interview decline or fail to attend two or more times without good reason shall be treated as having voluntarily resigned from his or her employment.

ATRs in Districts 75, 79 and BASIS will be sent to interviews within the borough of the school to which they were previously assigned.

Social workers in excess will rotate weekly.

All social workers will be assigned a field supervisor. If you are not hired permanently or provisionally by a school, you will be visited or observed by a field supervisor. They may come in unannounced. Your field supervisor is your end-of the-year rating officer.  Social workers should be given work appropriate for their title. Assignments should not include hall duty, lunch duty, SAVE room, or secretarial or administrative tasks for any part of the day.

Psychologists in the ATR pool

Psychologists are not part of the weekly rotation at this time. Psychologists are assigned as an ATR to a single school or cluster within their district to assist with caseload or can be assigned to a vacant cluster within their borough.

For SBST psychologists:  The DOE has advised supervisors of psychologists to request testing equipment from psychologists who are in excess. Please get a receipt when surrendering testing materials. Upon arrival to a new assignment, please request testing equipment from the psychologist supervisor of the assigned school.

Save the date!

Tuesday, Oct. 28: There will be a meeting for all new hires of our chapter from 4 to 6 p.m. at UFT headquarters at 52 Broadway, 19th floor, room H.

October and November: There will be membership meetings in all the boroughs later this month and in November. Please check back on our website calendar for dates, times and locations for your borough.

Tuesday, Nov. 4: Come to a citywide professional development day for counselors and social workers.

Tuesday, Dec. 2: Come to a general chapter membership meeting for counselors and social workers.

Wednesday, Jan. 7: Social workers and psychologists who serve in middle schools are welcome to attend a middle school chapter meeting.

Tuesday, Jan. 27: Come to the 9th Annual Clinical Professional Development Day for social workers and psychologists.

For information and to register for these and other events, please check our UFT calendar.

Go to calendar for information or to register for events »

Professional development: Many of our members provide related service counseling, general guidance services and other social worker support services. As you may know, the DOE has created a new Office of Guidance and Counseling. The DOE wants this office to help serve all staff who provide counseling services to students. We would like to assist them in developing professional development that is relevant to you in your role. If you provide non-SBST services within your school or schools, please email your name, your non-DOE email address and your role to AKarneyeu@uft.org.

Continuing education requirements: As of January 2015, the New York State Education Department is requiring social workers to get Continuing Education Units/Credits(CEU) upon license renewal. Please visit the NYSED website for more information. We are exploring ways to assist you in obtaining some of these units.

Meetings with principals or CSE chairpersons: Please be aware that a principal or committee on special education (CSE) chairperson can request a meeting. If the meeting is disciplinary in nature, you are entitled to union representation. If the meeting is not for disciplinary reasons and you request representation, the principal or CSE chairperson reserves the right to make a record of the meeting and write a letter to file regarding the meeting. If at any time while attending such a meeting the interaction takes a wrong turn, please request that the meeting be rescheduled so that you can exercise your right to union representation.