One of the many benefits of union membership is having paid leave to rest and recuperate when you are sick.
All full-time, school-based UFT members who work for the city Department of Education earn one sick day per month after serving at least 16 days on payroll, for a total of 10 days for the full school year.
Cumulative Absence Reserve (CAR) is the formal name for the bank of sick days earned by pedagogues and paraprofessionals. The CAR day is added to the member’s CAR bank on the 30th of each month.
Self-treated sick days
Pedagogues, including school counselors, school social workers and psychologists, school librarians and lab specialists, as well as school secretaries, can earn up to 10 self-treated sick days each year. Three of those 10 days can be used for personal business, provided reasonable notice is given to the principal, or to care for a sick family member. If you take more than 10 self-treated days in a school year, you will not be paid unless you submit a doctor’s note, even if you have days remaining in your CAR.
Paraprofessionals and administrative employees such as school nurses and occupational and physical therapists are entitled to use up to five self-treated days in each of two five-month periods in a school year (September through January and February through June) for a total of 10 self-treated days each year. Paraprofessionals and administrative employees cannot use more than three consecutive self-treated sick days. The fourth in a row would result in an absence without pay.
During a per-session summer activity, pedagogues and paraprofessionals accrue one sick day equal to the hours of the program for each month of service. One sick day taken during a per-session summer activity can be self-treated, but the second day must have a doctor’s note.
As of September 2025, absences related to COVID-19 are charged to employees’ sick banks. This change ends the DOE’s special pandemic COVID-19 leave policy. Employees who remain out for more than five days may be required to provide medical documentation confirming ongoing symptoms that prevent their return to work.
CAR day limit
For regularly appointed employees, up to 200 CAR days can be accumulated over the course of a career. You do not accrue days in your CAR when you are on an approved sabbatical or leave of absence without pay.
If you become ill and have exhausted all your CAR days, pedagogues may request to borrow up to 20 additional sick days, while paraprofessionals and administrative employees may request up to 10 days.
If these borrowed days have not been replenished by the time you retire or resign, the DOE will deduct the value of those days from your vacation pay at your current salary rate. If you are not eligible for vacation pay, or if your vacation pay does not cover the full amount owed, the DOE will bill you for the remaining balance.
Pedagogues and paraprofessionals can check their current CAR balance on their pay stubs or through the DOE payroll portal. This information may also be requested of the payroll secretary.