Here are some of the rules that govern these per-session activities for teachers, school psychologists and social workers and paraprofessionals.

No one should have to tolerate workplace harassment or discrimination, which is why the UFT-Department of Education contracts have contained protections, for many years, against a wide range of discriminatory or harassing behaviors, including sexual harassment.

SBOs — in accordance with Article 8B of the contract — allow UFT members the flexibility to collaboratively modify contractual articles and/or create positions that the contract does not automatically allow.

The union contract empowers us as educators to do our jobs well. It includes articles and rights whose sole aim is to ensure that we have the resources, support and structures in place so that we can do our best to educate our students. It gives us an important voice in the workplace and a mechanism for addressing problems that arise.

UFT paraprofessionals have challenging and rewarding jobs working as part of an educational team providing educational and support services to children. Here are some rights and responsibilities of paraprofessionals that paras should know.

Pedagogues — teachers, guidance counselors, school secretaries, psychologists, social workers and lab specialists — injured or made sick on the job are covered by the Injury-in-the-Line-of-Duty provision of the UFT-Department of Education contract.

When educators are bogged down with unnecessary and duplicative paperwork, it takes valuable time away from the work of educating and supporting our students. For that reason, the UFT negotiated a contractual clause in the 2014 contract that is designed to reduce and eliminate unnecessary paperwork.

Teachers and other pedagogues are credited with one day of “sick leave” on the 16th of each month of the school year, or 10 days for a full school year of work.

Accidents, playground scrapes, bloody noses, fights, athletic injuries and violent episodes all have the potential for exposing you to a 

You do not have to — nor should you — tolerate such harassment or acts of intimidation. A special complaint process was expanded in the 1990s to protect UFT members from harassment or intimidation by their supervisors.