If a member was arrested at school or for a school related issue, the UFT will provide a criminal defense attorney up to and including arraignment.

Decision about re-assignment and suspensions with and without pay depend on the reason for the arrest, = various collective bargaining agreements and Chancellor’s regulations. Members should contact the UFT for specific information related to their case.

A Desk Appearance Ticket is an order by the police to appear in criminal court to respond to an accusation that you have committed an offense. A DAT is considered an arrest and must be reported, as all arrests should be to both OPI and your principal in writing.

Chancellor’s Regulation C-105 requires that employees with a final disposition delivery an original copy to the Office of Personnel Investigations within 3 days. It is strongly recommended that this be hand delivered to OPI and to get a receipt upon delivery.

An ACD is an Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal. If you receive this from the court, immediately bring an original copy to OPI. If you have been suspended or re-assigned, OPI will make a decision on a case by case basis if you can return to work.

The UFT cannot give legal advice in these matters. It is strongly suggested that if you have been arrested, seek the services of a qualified attorney that specializes in these matters. The UFT does not make recommendations on any attorney.

Professional activities are professional or administrative assignments that are part of a teacher’s program, in middle schools, high schools, and 8 period elementary schools. The activities are chosen from the contractual menu of professional activities.

See more about professional activities »

You should receive one of the three professional activities you expressed preference for. If you do not receive one of the activities, you are entitled to choose another three. If there are not enough volunteers for a particular activity, it can be involuntarily assigned on a rotational basis in reverse seniority order. You cannot be involuntarily assigned to an administrative duty, such as lunch duty, hall patrol or am duty, for any two years in a row.

If you would like to do a professional activity that is not on the contractual list, you can propose it to your principal, whose approval is required before you undertake the activity. Also, the 2018 Contract made it possible for chapters to use the SBO process to create additional menu activities.

A school-based option is a modification of the UFT/DOE contract that has been approved by the UFT staff, principal, UFT District Rep, Superintendent, UFT President, and the Chancellor in order to improve education in the school. It provides schools the opportunity to modify certain parts of the collective-bargaining agreement to fit the particular needs of individual schools.