Frequently Asked Questions
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A list of the most commonly asked questions.
In general, when students appear intoxicated or under the influence and are present in school, it's the school's responsibility to keep them there until dismissal or a parent/guardian can pick them up. If you become aware of a student under the influence, contact both your school administrator and school safety agent.
These are steps to be taken at the school level:
- Parent notification
- EMS, depending on the severity of the situation
- Student cannot be allowed to leave the building
- Student must be seen by the school nurse
Under Chancellor's Regulations, the DOE has a right to re-assign or suspend staff during an investigation. Normally you can not be forced to an out of Borough Reassignment location. Contact your Borough Office immediately if this has happened.
Our state affiliate NYSUT has a legal plan service that UFT members are entitled to join. You can find out more about it and enroll online here: http://memberbenefits.nysut.org/program-service/legal-and-financial/legal-service-plan.
UFT parental leave provides for six weeks of paid leave. Birth parents can supplement these weeks by using CAR days in their bank from the day of birth until either their available days run out, or six weeks’ worth (eight weeks for a C-section) have been used. If a birth parent has the days in their bank, they could receive a total of 12 weeks of paid leave (14 weeks for a C-section). Members cannot borrow days or use a grace period. Members must commit to returning to the DOE for a minimum of one year following the leave.
Maternity leave is a birth parent’s right to use CAR days following a birth for six weeks (eight weeks for a C-section). Birth parents are allowed to borrow CAR days and use a grace period within the six-week (or eight-week) window. There is no return-to-service requirement, though if a birth parent borrows days, they must either return to service or repay those days to avoid being billed for them. There is no additional right to take a UFT parental leave in this case.
Once you have determined which leave best fits your personal circumstances, be sure to choose the correct term when applying through SOLAS. The city continues to provide health insurance in either case.
People can borrow days before the birth in what is known as maternity disability. Once the baby is born, birth mothers can only borrow days if they take maternity leave. There is no right to borrow days if you take a UFT parental leave.
Yes. People who do not return from a UFT parental leave are responsible to repay the money they received while on this leave. If you do not return to active service for 12 calendar months, you will be required to pay back the UFT parental leave benefit.
When you return from a leave of absence, in most cases you return to your school or worksite. In some cases, you may be excessed while on a leave, if you were the least senior person in your license area and your school experienced a drop in enrollment. Some titles, like Guidance Counselors, Speech Teachers and Occupational and Physical Therapists have time limits for a right of return to your school or worksite.
You can stop working a week before your due date without any additional medical documentation. If you want to go on leave before that, you would need a note from your doctor that includes a diagnosis and prognosis.
You can apply for a sabbatical by logging onto the DOE's Self Online Leave Application System (SOLAS). SOLAS is available at https://apps.schools.nyc/solas.
If you are a teacher with 7 years of service, you could be eligible for a six-month sabbatical. People on six-month sabbaticals are paid 60% of their regular pay. People who are on year-long sabbaticals (which require 14 years of service) receive 70% of their regular pay.
See the UFT's main page on sabbaticals for more information.
Any time a person is off payroll, their summer pay is reduced accordingly. In other words, if you are off payroll for 10% of the school year, your summer pay would be reduced roughly 10%. If you are on a UFT parental leave, this loss is compensated for in the check you receive from the Welfare Fund. Any time that you are out on a child care leave, or any time off payroll outside of the six/eight weeks of parental leave, will result in a vacation pay reduction.