New York State law was recently amended to require that all Department of Education employees who are mandated reporters, including all classroom teachers, take additional training by April 1 in the area of identifying and reporting child abuse and maltreatment/neglect. The revised workshop includes protocols to reduce implicit bias in decision-making processes, strategies for identifying adverse childhood experiences, and guidelines to assist in recognizing signs of abuse or maltreatment while interacting virtually.

Every mandated reporter, regardless of certification type — even if you have taken the workshop in the past — must take the updated two-hour workshop by the April 1 deadline.

The UFT Teacher Center is holding free online workshops throughout the school year to enable UFT members to fulfill this new state requirement. You can also take a free two-hour self-directed online course from the New York State Education Department to satisfy the new requirement. This online course can be paused and resumed later.