If you find damaged or disturbed building materials such as plaster or floor tiles, assume these materials contain potentially hazardous materials until otherwise noted and contact your UFT borough health and safety representative. Similarly, damaged or disturbed exterior caulk may contain PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). Contact the health and safety representative at your UFT borough office.

Yes, there must be a protocol meeting prior to the commencement of an SCA construction and renovation project and the UFT chapter leader must be present. There also must be a protocol meeting prior to the commencement of DOE Division of School Facilities (DSF) repair, renovation and/or construction work that will disturb/involve more than 100 square feet of building materials.

More details about the protocols that must be followed can be found in the UFT Protocol Checklist for SCA Construction Projects in Schools or the UFT/DSF Pre-Construction Protocol Checklist. For PCB-containing light fixture removal and replacement projects, you should consult the UFT/DSF/NYPA Pre-Construction Protocol Checklist. If you have questions or concerns about a construction project in your building, please contact the health and safety representative at your UFT borough office.

No, the regular class size limits apply.

State regulations permit teachers to be assigned no more than one period a day outside their certification, license/appointment area when no certified or qualified teacher is available. This is called incidental teaching.

However, a superintendent of schools may assign certified teachers to teach a subject not covered by their certificate for a period not to exceed ten classroom hours a week when no certified or qualified teacher is available after extensive and documented recruitment. Please note that teachers who do not hold special education certification cannot have incidental teaching assignments where special education certification is required. 

Additional information about incidental teaching can be found on the NYSED website. 

The requirements for New York State certificates can be found at www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert. There are no separate requirements for a New York City license other than the availability of a vacancy in the certificate area and the recommendation of a principal to hire the person for the vacancy.

You must have New York State certification to be hired for a full-time teaching position in New York City. The position must match the state certificate. New York City no longer issues a separate paper license, but there is still a license/appointment process that must take place in the DOE computer system once someone is hired. This determines your tenure track and your seniority for excessing and layoff.

While most New York City school educators are not at risk, if you are exposed to blood or body fluids in an accident, playground scrape, bloody nose, fight, athletic injury or violent incident, treat any such incident as if the fluids are infected because there is no way to tell if a child or adult is infected with Hepatitis B or other bloodborne pathogens.

Wash the affected area with soap and water immediately. Flush eyes and exposed mucous membranes with large amounts of water. Report the incident to the school’s site administrator, principal and chapter leader so the administrator can coordinate necessary medical arrangements. To help prevent infection, be sure to seek medical attention immediately (in some cases you may need treatment within hours).

The DOE is required to develop an Exposure Control Plan that:

• identifies at-risk workers;
• outlines methods to prevent or eliminate exposure, including universal precautions and the use of safe needle devices;
• outlines adequate personal protective equipment;
• establishes a housekeeping, cleaning and disinfection program;
• establishes a bloodborne pathogens training program;
• offers Hepatitis B vaccine at no cost; and
• offers free, confidential medical evaluation, treatment and counseling after an exposure to blood or bodily fluids during work hours.

The principal should appoint an administrative-level person, called the site employee safety administrator, to coordinate the school’s program.

For more details about what your school must do, read this Know Your Rights column on bloodborne pathogens.

See the UFT's guide to the DOE's Blood-Borne Pathogen Compliance Tool »

You may take off up to four days for the purposes of bereavement, at any point in the three months after the date of death of a covered family member. Form OP 201 is required.