Appointed pedagogues are entitled to a “calendar month” grace period, which pays you for all weekends and holidays for the calendar month following the exhaustion of the days in your sick bank and/or your borrowed days. Work days are deducted from...

You may take time following the death of a family member without loss of CAR days. If your parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, spouse or domestic partner, or parent of spouse or domestic partner or any other relative or step-relative of...

A leave may be denied because of incomplete medical documentation, not meeting eligibility requirements, not providing timely notice of the need for a leave, the health condition is not sufficiently serious, or a leave is determined not to be...

Most leaves are applied for on the DOE website through SOLAS, the Self-Service Online Leave Application System (https://apps.schools.nyc/solas). Absences of one day or more, but less than 10, and intermittent FMLA leaves are not applied for online...

If you physically gave birth to a child, you may use your available CAR/sick day balance immediately after your child’s birth for up to a maximum of six calendar weeks (eight weeks for a C-section) before beginning UFT parental leave for an...

No. Birth mothers must choose between two options: Take the traditional maternity leave including any applicable right to borrow days and/or use a grace period; or Take a UFT parental leave. Under this option, immediately following the birth of a...

Yes, but we ask that you call ahead to schedule an appointment as this will ensure that time will be set aside for you.

Monday through Friday between the hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the school year and 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday during the summer months. Please call the Health and Cancer Helpline at 212-539-0515 to speak with a social worker.

When you or a loved one are affected by illness and are in need of information, direction and support.

Yes. The Health and Cancer Helpline is available to individuals and their dependents who have been diagnosed with all types of medical or behavioral health illnesses.

Our caring staff will provide you with knowledge and information ranging from job leaves to accessing community resources. It may be useful to have a pen and paper available to take notes.

You will receive immediate professional advice from a full-time social worker based on identified needs. The social worker will create a supportive plan and follow-up care with a series of telephone and/or in person contacts to assist the individual...

Services include but are not limited to: immediate access to a full-time social worker to assess the health and wellness needs of the caller, on-going support from the helpline social worker, assistance with planning a leave of absence, health...

New state regulations mandating the testing for lead in water in all public New York schools went into effect on Sept. 6, 2016. To comply with these state laws, the DOE has been testing all water outlets in all New York City schools for lead. You can...

If you are enrolling in the Welfare Fund for benefits and are eligible, you should receive your insurance documents in 7-10 days. If you are enrolling with dependents for benefits, you must provide all specified required documents (marriage...

Make sure you are using the correct first and last name, birth date, Social Security number or 10-digit Welfare Fund ID number and zip code. Please use the first and last name that is shown on your paycheck, even if it differs from the name you used...

Every school must have a school safety plan and a crisis response plan that is updated annually and logged with the education, police and fire departments. Safety Plans are mandated by the SAVE Legislation, the UFT Contract, the Chancellor’s...

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

In either case, you should notify your immediate supervisor as soon as possible. If there was danger to you and/or other staff and students, also alert your UFT chapter leader and make sure to file a UFT incident report online so you can get needed...

The deadline for completing DASA training depends on the expiration date of your certificate; you must complete your training before applying for a new certificate.

Yes. If, for example, you are a professional certificate holder and want an additional certificate, you will need to complete DASA training for your additional certificate.

You must complete six hours of coursework from a provider approved by the New York State Education Department. You can find a list of approved providers at the NYSED website. The UFT is an approved provider and offers this course in its borough...

School professionals (teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, psychologists and social workers) who are applying for state certification must take this six-hour course. This includes members who are applying for new certificates (for example...

Having tenure means you may not be disciplined or terminated without due process. As a tenured teacher, you have the right to a hearing before an independent arbitrator regarding any charges brought against you. These due process rights protect you...

The process for determining whether or not you will get tenure is rigorous, and tenure is not automatic at the end of the probationary period. You must: 1) be recommended for tenure by your principal; 2) be granted tenure by your superintendent; 3)...

If you are considering resigning from the DOE, we strongly suggest contacting the union at 212-331-6311 to speak with a representative about your options. Resignation Provide an official letter (as a PDF or Word doc attachment) with your effective...

You can apply for COBRA and pay a monthly fee to maintain your Department of Education health insurance and UFT Welfare Fund health benefits for up to 36 months. You can also be covered under another individual’s plan without waiting for an...

We recommend you first contact your UFT borough office and speak with a UFT representative before you resign. DOE pedagogue employees who plan to resign must give at least 30 calendar days’ notice, according to Chancellor's Regulations. According to...

According to the Department of Education, employees who resign without providing notice will be given a problem code in their personnel file that will flag them for review should they wish to return to teaching. Chapter leaders have reported some...

Only if you return to teaching within five years of the effective date of resignation and apply to withdraw the resignation using the Application for Withdrawal of Resignation form on the Department of Education website. The application must be...

If you are not tenured prior to your resignation, you must serve a four-year probationary period when you return. This period can be reduced up to 2 years for prior satisfactory service in the same license. This is called Jarema Credit.

If you fail to submit the form or return after five years, you must serve a four year probationary period, which can be reduced up to two years for prior satisfactory service in the same license.

Classroom teachers, administrative and supervisory personnel, paraprofessionals and pupil personnel service professionals are required to hold a certificate issued by New York State in order to be employed in the state's public schools. Certificates...

All applicants for certificates, licensees, or permits must undergo a fingerprint-supported criminal history background check. State law requires the State Education Department to conduct these background checks for all school personnel, including...

You should be aware that the Office of Teaching Initiatives does not endorse, pre-approve, or accredit programs or coursework completed at institutions located outside the State of New York. Information regarding colleges and universities within New...

No. An individual who holds more than one classroom teaching certificate may meet the three-year experience requirement with any three years of classroom teaching experience. For instance, a teacher who holds the Childhood Education (Grades 1-6) and...