New parents—including by birth, adoption and foster care—who are DOE employees in titles represented by the UFT are eligible to apply for Parental Leave, and meet the following criteria:

• You are a full-time employee OR an H-bank/non-pedagogical employee who works a regular schedule of 20 hours or more per week
• You have been an employee and on payroll for a minimum of 12 calendar months from your most recent date of hire.
• You have been in active status for the 12 calendar months immediately prior to the covered event.
• F-status and per diem employees are not eligible for paid parental leave.
• Employees who have taken one paid parental leave are eligible to take another paid parental leave after 10 calendar months of active status.

• Employees who take paid parental leave must return to work or active status for at least 12 calendar months or they will be required to pay back the benefit.

  Check your eligibility for parental benefits by using the UFT Parental Leave Guide. Log in to the UFT Member Hub to check it out!

Learn more about parental leaves »

See your payroll secretary in your school, who can advise you as to how many days you have remaining in your sick bank. Your paycheck/pay stub also contains that information, which can be found on the DOE payroll portal (https://payrollportal.nycboe.net).

*

CAR days can be used for an employee’s personal medical condition; 3 of the 10 self- treated sick days each year can be used for personal business or to care for a sick family member.

The School Construction Authority (SCA) is supposed to conduct construction and renovation projects after the regular school day. The DOE Division of School Facilities (DSF) may conduct repairs and maintenance as well as small construction and renovation projects during the school day. However, asbestos abatement projects, whether conducted by the SCA or the DOE DSF, may be conducted only when the building is not occupied.

The “file” is your personnel file that travels with you if you change schools. Supervisors may put into it observation reports and other materials about your performance within three months of occurrence, excluding the summer, but you must be given the opportunity to read it. You can attach a response if you want. Negative material that is not used in disciplinary charges should be removed after three years.

No, all negative materials in your file that are more than three years old should be removed if they have not been used in connection with disciplinary charges. You can request to see your file to verify that this has occurred promptly. Talk to your chapter leader about how this is done in your school.

See more about a letter in your file »

Per Chancellor's Regulation A-850, all DOE facilities and schools report on sustainability practices to emphasize the importance of sustainability, to create a culture that accepts fiscal responsibility for sustainability goals, to enhance building performance, to foster a sense of citizenship, and to complete and implement a site-specific waste prevention, reuse, recycling, and energy conservation plan.

Each principal designates a person from the school’s administrative or teaching staff to be the Sustainability Coordinator for that individual school. If a school is located on a “campus” (i.e. a building containing more than one school or program), the principals for the various schools may appoint one person to serve as the Sustainability Coordinator for all the schools in the building.

Responsibilities of the Sustainability Coordinator
The Sustainability Coordinator is responsible for:

• Completing and implementing the school’s sustainability plan, or in the case of non-school buildings, the building’s sustainability plan. Sustainability Coordinators shall review and report to the Principal/Building Captain on recycling practices at the school or building, serving as the conduit for sustainable curriculum development initiatives in school buildings.
• Utilizing the U.S. EPA Energy Star Portfolio Manager provided by the DOE in assisting with energy conservation programs.
• If a school is located on a campus, Sustainability Coordinators from each school shall hold periodic campus-wide sustainability meetings to coordinate their conservation efforts (e.g., turn off the lights and equipment that are not in use).
• Sustainability Coordinators shall complete and submit to the DOE’s Director of Sustainability the Annual Sustainability Survey.
• The Sustainability Coordinator shall consult with representatives from all sectors of the school or DOE building, including principal(s), food services, administrative and facilities staff, and wherever possible, parents and students, in developing and implementing all of the sustainability initiatives at the school.

Time Allocation Opportunities for Sustainability Coordinators
Speak with your principal and UFT chapter leader if you are interested in pursuing any of these time allocations:

• School-Based Option (SBOs)
• Professional development hours
• Professional period (Circular 6)
• Per session for after/before school compensation

Tips for Sustainability Coordinators – Build A Team!
Here are recommended steps to take as you fulfill this role:

1. Introduce yourself as the Sustainability Coordinator to your school’s Custodian Engineer, cafeteria staff, PA/PTA, and other school staff.
2. Recruit at least one colleague to be your co-coordinator
3. Start a Green Team/environmental club. This can include both students and staff.

Resources for Sustainability Coordinators
The DOE Office of Energy and Sustainability has great resources for Sustainability Coordinators on their Sustainability Hub including:

• Classroom activities, lessons, and resources 
• In-person and virtual professional learning on a variety of climate-related topics
• Ongoing support from Sustainability Specialists on the Office of Energy and Sustainability team.

Yes, it must. Under the DOE-UFT contract, it is your school’s obligation to provide you with “appropriate and sufficient basic instructional supplies and books,” including textbooks, paper, assessment materials, chalk, microscopes and math manipulatives. See additional information about teacher supplies »

If that obligation is not met, let your chapter leader know. Teacher’s Choice may be used for materials beyond these basic supplies.

See your school's chapter leader, who can bring this issue up with your principal. The DOE must provide teachers with a semester or year-long curriculum in all core subjects which are aligned with state standards. Curriculum means: (a) a list of content and topics; (b) a scope and sequence; and, (c) a list of what students are expected to know and be able to do after studying each topic. 

Core subjects are: Math, Social Studies, English Language Arts, Science, Foreign Languages, and other subject areas named by the DOE and shared with the UFT. Core course curriculum should be supplied even in cases where the courses may be electives. 

However, the sufficiency and the quality of the curriculum provided is not grievable. 

Teachers may still voluntarily write their own curriculum, and if the DOE or a school administrator specifically requests a teacher to write a curriculum, there must be sufficient time given during the work day or paid time after school via per-session in order to do so. 

Either: 

• Your school building does not have designated DOE parking spaces, therefore you will not be issued a parking permit. 
• You are not affiliated with one of the approved unions.
• Your employee reference number is invalid. 

If you believe that you meet the eligibility requirements and still are having issues, please email: DOEparkingpermits@schools.nyc.gov.