The Dignity for All Students Act mandates that anyone applying for a New York State teaching license or certificate after December 31, 2013 complete six hours of training on harassment, bullying and discrimination in schools.

Speak with your chapter leader or district representative. While a handbook may reiterate an existing provision of a collective bargaining agreement or Chancellor’s Regulation, a handbook cannot be contrary to or modify a provision of a collective bargaining agreement or Chancellor’s Regulation and a handbook cannot create a new term or condition of employment that is not in a collective bargaining agreement, Chancellor’s Regulation or existing official DOE policy. The DOE has written that school staff may not be held accountable for provisions of any school handbook or other communication that is inconsistent with collective bargaining agreements or Chancellor's Regulations. See the DOE guidance on school handbooks »

There are two avenues for resolving special education issues: your school’s Special Education Committee or the special education complaint.

Issues that can be brought to the Special Education Committee include the failure to properly staff special education classes, using integrated co-teaching teachers to provide coverage for absent teachers, violations of class size limits for special classes, failure to staff paraprofessional positions, combining special classes for clusters and physical education, and late arrival or early departure of school buses. The committee meets with the principal in the fall and spring and as needed during the rest of the school year.

A special education complaint should be filed for any issues specific to individual students, such as IEP program and service recommendations based on administrative considerations rather than student need. Other topics best handled through the special education complaint process include school budgeting for special education programs and services, violations of the rules governing ICT class size and composition, failure to process in a timely fashion parent referrals and staff member requests for special education referral, and the failure to provide behavior management training for paraprofessionals who work with students with behavior intervention plans.

Also see the DOE's Special Education Standard Operation Procedures Manual (SOPM) for reference. 

IEP meetings should happen during instructional time or the teacher’s professional activity period. Under the 2023 DOE-UFT contract (Article 6B1d), IEP conferences can now also be scheduled during the 40-minute block of Other Professional Work on Tuesdays. If the meeting takes place during instructional time, the teacher’s class must be covered. IEP meetings should not be held during preparation periods. If a teacher loses their preparation period due to attendance at an IEP meeting, the teacher must be compensated (see Payroll Administration Memo No. 20 2000-1).

The management needs section of the student’s IEP must make clear the circumstances during the school day, including related services and nonacademic settings such as lunch and transitions, for which the student requires the support of a paraprofessional. IEP-assigned paraprofessionals must attend related service sessions if the management needs section of the IEP indicates the student requires services in that setting. Either way, related service providers should let paraprofessionals know how they can support related service goals in the classroom (see the DOE's Special Education Standard Operation Procedures Manual (SOPM), Special Considerations: IEP-Assigned Paraprofessionals section).

Yes, the IEP team should discuss whether students with disabilities require support in any instructional, grade-bearing class. Teachers of such classes who are concerned about the ability of a student with a disability to access or participate in the class should bring their concerns to the attention of the student’s special education teacher. In addition, special education teachers should consult with general education teachers who also work with their students — including bilingual, English as a new language, cluster and specialty teachers — when preparing for annual review meetings (see the DOE's Special Education Standard Operating Procedures Manual (SOPM), Special Education Teacher Preparation for IEP Meetings section).

No, in this case, the IEP team must be convened to consider other programs and service options based on the student’s specific needs. If the team concludes that the student requires the service or program that the school does not offer, the school should consult with its Administrator of Special Education to request a Checklist for Organizing Resources (CORe) review (see the DOE's Special Education Standard Operating Procedures Manual (SOPM), Provision of Special Education Programs section). Likewise, when the student’s IEP team has student progress data that suggests the student should be considered for a change in program or services, an IEP meeting must be held to consider the change and revise the IEP (see the SOPM, IEP Team Composition section). 

No. According to federal law, the IEP team — which includes the parent and the teachers and related service providers who work with the student — is responsible for developing, reviewing and revising the IEP of a student with a disability (see the DOE's Special Education Standard Operating Procedures Manual [SOPM], IEP Overview and IEP Team Composition sections). School personnel who do not serve the student should not develop, review or revise the student’s IEP. UFT members who have been improperly directed by their administration to perform any of these tasks may ask their school’s Special Education Committee to raise the issue with the principal or file a confidential special education complaint.

Teachers who hold professional teaching certificates and paraprofessionals who hold Level III teaching assistant certificates need to earn CTLE hours.

Teachers who hold entry-level certificates (initial, conditional initial, Transitional A, Transitional B or internship) and paraprofessionals who hold Level I or II teaching certificates do not need to collect CTLE hours. Teachers who hold permanent licenses do not need to obtain CTLE hours, although they must register on the New York State Education Department (NYSED) website every five years.

See the NYSED website for more information on CTLE and a detailed chart listing requirements by title.

Teachers with professional certification and paraprofessionals who hold a Level III teaching assistant certificate must complete 100 CTLE hours every five years to maintain their certification. You are required to register with NYSED in order to start your registration period for completing CTLE hours.

If you achieve certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards within your five-year registration window, you will be deemed to have met the CTLE requirement for that cycle.