If you haven't otherwise been informed, the number and type of observations you receive will change once you are tenured. If tenure was granted, you would be assigned a minimum of two informal observations as part of your yearly teacher evaluation instead of three informals and one formal. This would be reflected on your IPC (initial planning conference) preference sheet that you will receive at the beginning of the school year. 

Please note: if you receive tenure after the IPC window closes for the year (usually in late October), then the minimum number of observations would not be reduced until the following school year.

A Line of Duty Injury leave must be requested via the DOE’s Self-Service Online Leave of Absence System (SOLAS).

The dates of your leave should include only the actual days you are out, so you should request Line of Duty Injury status from the day of your first absence to the date of your last absence. Make sure to contact your school to inform them of the specific dates that you will be absent.

Under Line of Duty Injury, pedagogues may apply for important benefits, including paid time off from work to recover and reimbursement of medical expenses.

If you are injured in the line of duty, your health plan covers your medical care. You can receive reimbursement from the DOE for reasonable medical expenses — incurred because of an injury in the line of duty and not covered by insurance — of up to $1,500.

Until the DOE approves your LODI status, absent days come out of your sick bank (CAR). Those days will be restored once you are granted LODI status, and your pay will continue as usual. If you have to miss work to appear in court, the days will not come out of your sick bank — as long as you file the appropriate paperwork.

You must notify your administration within 24 business hours of any accident or injury on school grounds or while on school business. Complete the DOE’s Comprehensive Injury Report and return it to your principal. Inform your chapter leader as soon as possible.

If you are unable to inform your administration because of the severity of your injury or other reasonable grounds, ask your chapter leader or another designee to report your injury.

Make sure to see a doctor as soon as possible. Get a note from your doctor describing the extent of your injury and the anticipated time you will need to recover. Many health care providers do not know that pedagogues are not covered under workers’ compensation and will ask for an incident number. If you need to submit proof, show them the letter from the New York City Law Department that explains the matter.

If you intend to sue the DOE, jlinton [at] uft [dot] org (contact Junior Linton) from the UFT Health and Safety Department as soon as possible. He will send you a legal intake form, which you should fill out and return to him. An attorney will contact you soon thereafter. A notice of intent to sue or notice of claim legal referral form must be filed by you or an attorney within 90 calendar days of the date of your accident or illness.

A new state law took effect on Sept. 1, 2025 that establishes maximum allowable temperatures in classrooms and support service spaces like offices, libraries, gyms and cafeterias (except kitchen areas used for food preparation). All schools must now develop an extreme heat policy that meets the requirements of the law. Read the DOE’s guidelines on this new law »

The law states that when classroom temperatures reach 82 degrees, schools must take action to alleviate heat-related discomfort. These interventions may include turning off lights and unused electronics, lowering blinds or shades, using fans, opening windows or doors, limiting strenuous activities, providing water breaks or relocating classes. 

Under the new law, the maximum allowable temperature in a classroom or support service space is 88 degrees. If the temperature in a room exceeds 88 degrees, the school must have a plan to relocate students and staff where practicable. To minimize disruption during heat waves, principals should ensure there are available cooler relocation spaces, such as air-conditioned locations, or initiate the process to ensure that the majority of the instructional spaces in the school have working air conditioning.

If your school is not complying with the new law, reach out to your chapter leader who can contact the UFT Health & Safety Department for assistance. 

See more about indoor temperature regulations »

You may reduce your probation by one to two years if you meet the criteria for these scenarios:

Jarema credit: If you worked as a regular substitute under the same license and at the same school level, you can reduce your probationary period by up to two years.

Traveling tenure: If you received tenure in one license area and elected to take an appointment in a new license area, or if you were tenured in another school in New York State, you may be eligible to reduce your tenure by a year.

Records of this work and credits for service should be applied automatically, but it’s in your best interest to double check to make sure you received them.

In addition, if you were appointed and have already received tenure, but later teach under either an ENL, bilingual extension or special education certification, your probationary period will be reduced to one year. Read more »

See the Know Your Rights section of the UFT website for more information about achieving tenure. 

Every year, members on leaves of one term or one year must notify the DOE of their intent for the upcoming school year on or about May 15. You will receive an email from the DOE with a request to submit your intent with that year's specific deadline. 

If you received an email notification requiring that you submit an intention, you must log in to SOLAS and submit your intention to either:

• Return to work
• Extend your current leave
• Apply for a new leave type
• Resign
• Retire

Please note that all communication will be sent to your DOE email address. If you do not notify the DOE about your plans to return or apply for a leave extension by the deadline, you will be deemed voluntarily resigned from your position.

Members whose leaves are less than one term are not required to submit their intent. The following leave types are also not required to submit an intent: 

• Workers' Compensation
• Sabbaticals
• Line of Duty
• Union
• Military

If you have checked your DOE email and did not receive an email from SOLAS, you are not currently required to participate. For further questions, please reach out to your payroll secretary. 

If you plan to: 

Return to service:

• Notify your principal or supervisor of your impending return.

Request an extension of your leave or request a new leave of absence:

• You must submit a leave application online using SOLAS.
• You must submit all supporting documentation within 21 days of the date of application. All leave-of-absence applications are subject to review for eligibility and completeness. HR Connect – Medical, Leaves & Records Administration will review your application and will send a determination to your DOE email address.

Resign from service:

• Contact the UFT to discuss the implications of resigning.
• You should notify your principal or supervisor in writing of your intent to resign from your position at the DOE 30 days prior to your resignation date. ·
• Your letter of resignation should include your name, file/EIS number, title, effective date of resignation and your signature.
• Contact your payroll secretary for information on any final entitlements.

Retire:

• Contact the UFT for a pension consultation.
• Contact your retirement system to confirm your retirement date.
• Information on the retirement process can be found on the HR Connect Portal. Once you have logged in with your DOE/Outlook user ID and password, search for “retirement.”
• We recommend you notify your principal or supervisor in writing of your intent to retire from your position at the DOE.
• Contact your payroll secretary for information on any final entitlements.

You may change your intent before the final deadline. After that, you must submit a request for an exception and provide evidence of a material change or extenuating circumstance. You must make this request as soon as possible.  

No, you’ll receive a lump-sum payment equivalent to your regular compensation from the UFT Welfare Fund at the end of your six-week UFT parental leave instead.

No, the program only applies to privately-employed New Yorkers and not public employees.