Teachers were once required to punch in and out with a time clock, but the UFT was able to eliminate of that hold-over of factory-model teaching in the 1990s. Today, the principal must consult with the UFT chapter committee and establish alternate...

An absence due to a death in your immediate family is classified as a "non-attendance day," -- you receive full pay and it is not deducted from your Cumulative Absence Record (CAR). If your parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, spouse or...

This is the formal name for your bank of “sick days.” You are credited with one CAR day on the 16 th of each month of the school year, for a total of 10 days for the full school year. If you are regularly appointed, you can accumulate up to 200 CAR...

There is no specific number of absences that is automatically considered excessive. According to an arbitration award, facts and circumstances that must be considered include, but are not limited to, the employee’s attendance and work history...

You are entitled to full pay for time spent on jury duty. Your jury duty time during the school year is classified as non-attendance days. Jury duty that causes you to miss per session time does not count as non-attendance; if you miss per session...

Attendance at education conferences, meetings or conventions are treated as an excused absence with full pay and are not deducted from your CAR. Prior approval of the principal and superintendent are required.

If you are going to be absent due to religious observance, you should give your principal sufficient notice so that he or she can hire a substitute teacher for you. Your school secretary has the appropriate form for you to fill out. In many instances...

You may receive an excused absence to attend a graduation ceremony of a close family member. See the guidelines below: Pedagogues and paraprofessionals: One day with principal’s or supervisor’s permission to attend their graduation or that of a...

In the event of a major storm, the chancellor will determine whether to open, close or delay the opening of school. The union will try to convince the chancellor to do what is safe. The DOE may also pivot to remote instruction, for which digital...

If your school has been designated to either close or be phased out, and a new school(s) is opened in your building, the contract provides a process by which you may apply for a position in that school(s). Fifty percent of the positions available by...

Teachers in danger of being charged under section 3020-a of the State Education Law for incompetence may either volunteer or be recommended by their principal to participate in the Peer Intervention Program program to improve their teaching skills...

It is very important that all UFT-represented workers understand the regulations on corporal punishment and verbal abuse: Regulation of the Chancellor A-420 - Pupil Behavior and Discipline - Corporal Punishment Section 100.2 of the Regulations of the...

Compensatory time (comp time) positions create nonteaching assignments for teachers. These assignments are in lieu of teaching, may be full-time or part-time, and are subject to the school budget. Some compensatory time positions can be created...

This term refers to teachers in elementary schools who are not assigned to the same class of students for the entire day; they usually teach classes in music, art, science, physical education or any other subject that the chapter committee and the...

The widespread popularity of social media have created a new generation of problems and potential liabilities for educators. Teachers may be held responsible for content posted about them and by them on social networking sites. For those who have a...

In 2017, the UFT filed a union-initiated grievance to ensure that all elementary schools were following fair and consistent protocols for departmentalization. To settle the arbitration case, the Department of Education agreed to the following terms...

As someone who is committed to public education and who sees up close the condition in which our students learn and live, you are in a unique position to help influence public policy. Over the years, the UFT has often called upon its members to speak...

Since 1990, Article 8 of the DOE-UFT contract has affirmed that the organization, format, notation and other physical aspects of the lesson plans are within a teacher’s discretion. Nevertheless, many supervisors continued to require that specific...

UFT members have specific rights regarding program preferences and professional activities. Here’s what you should know before you make your requests. Program preferences Each spring, teachers complete a program preference sheet where they indicate...

Counseling memos are not disciplinary. A counseling memo may only be written to an employee to make him/her aware of a rule, policy, procedure, practice or expectation. A counseling memo cannot include any disciplinary action or threat of...

An incident, which has not been reduced to writing within three months of occurrence, excluding summer vacation, may not later be added to the file later on. No material derogatory to a teacher’s conduct, service, character or personality shall be...

There are two parts to UFT members’ health coverage. As an employee with a regular assignment in the Department of Education, you are entitled to a choice of several health plans offered by the City of New York. Your choice will provide you and your...

When a teacher is absent, the principal should always attempt to cover that class, preferably with a substitute teacher. When a substitute is not available, the principal should first ask for volunteers to cover the class and, if that doesn’t work...

If you are summoned for an interview for the record that may lead to disciplinary action by your principal, you are entitled to be represented by your chapter leader or their designee. If you are summoned to an interview by the DOE’s Office of...

If the police should arrest you in school for any reason, work-related or not, you or your chapter leader should immediately contact your district representative, who will contact the UFT's central office for assistance. You should give the UFT...

If you are a first-year teacher who has not had prior teaching experience, you are entitled to one-to-one mentoring throughout your first year. The mentor assigned to you is an experienced colleague who has been trained extensively in ways to best...

The DOE is obligated to provide educators in core subjects with a curriculum. Curriculum is defined as: 1) a list of content and topics; 2) scope and sequence; and 3) a list of what students are expected both to know and be able to do after studying...

It is your principal’s obligation to provide basic instructional supplies and books (including textbooks, paper and testing supplies) so you can provide an effective educational program to your students. Under the 2023 contract, the DOE is now...

If you travel to work by public transportation, you can save money by taking part in the City of New York Commuter Benefits Program, which covers New York City and the tri-state area. This city benefit enables UFT members to pay for allowable...

All evening parent teacher conferences will be conducted remotely during the 2025-26 school year. UFT-represented staff cannot be required to attend evening conferences from the school building unless the school has agreed to a modification with a...

Every UFT member has an official school file. There is only one official school file. No material derogatory to your conduct, service, character or personality should be placed in the file unless you have an opportunity to read the material. You will...

Despite many attempts to undercut it, section 3020-a of the State Education Law provides for due process before a tenured teacher or pedagogue can be disciplined or terminated, including for charges such as incompetence, corporal punishment...

A school-based option ("SBO") allows UFT members at a school the ability to collaboratively modify contractual articles or to create positions not automatically allowed under the DOE-UFT contract. Members can use the SBO process to change their...

Keeping class sizes within proper limits is not just a professional right to enable you to do your job better; it’s also an educational benefit for students who can receive more individual attention. Learn more about the New York State class size law...

If you are appointed under a new license, state law requires that you serve a probationary period of four years and a day. Each time you change your license and are reappointed, you must serve a new probationary period. As of the 2023 contract, the...

Gaining tenure is an important milestone. Tenure is a status that appointed pedagogues achieve after completing a probationary period with satisfactory service. Having tenure means you can’t be terminated without due process and you’re entitled to a...