The UFT and its members step up to help communities hurt by the pandemic by helping deliver food to those in need and by donating coats to children in shelters.

With President-elect Joe Biden and the soon-to-be first lady, teacher Jill Biden, in the White House, sweeping changes in U.S. education policy may be on the horizon.

Mary Vaccaro, the Queens District 26 representative for the past 16 years and a teacher for 26 years, was elected UFT vice president for education by the UFT Executive Board, succeeding Evelyn DeJesus, now AFT executive vice president.

District 75 schools, along with 3-K and pre-K sites, opened their doors for students on Sept. 21, a week before the rest of the school system. District 75 was tapped to go first because in-person learning is particularly important for its students.

In a school year full of change, one thing is still the same: Dial-A-Teacher, the UFT’s free homework help line, is up and running every Monday through Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m., offering K-12 students and their parents homework support.

Elizabeth Langiulli, a pivotal figure in UFT leadership for four decades, died on Sept. 24 at age 85. She believed “the union’s strength lies in its school chapters” and was among the first women elected as a chapter leader.

Prodded by the UFT and its members, the city closed 169 public schools and sites in Brooklyn and Queens after COVID-19 hotspots sprang up shortly after schools successfully reopened.

UFT members supported by their union helped pull off a return to in-classroom instruction during a phased-in reopening that began on Sept. 21 and, by Oct. 1, incorporated 500,000 students from every grade.

UFT members returning to their school buildings on Sept. 8 for the first time since March had an experience unlike any other.

Every year, we ask you to nominate a colleague who does outstanding work. During this challenging and unusual semester, we wanted to highlight a therapist who's done outstanding tele-therapy. Here's a conversation with our occupational therapist of...