Teachers in danger of being charged under section 3020-a of the State Education Law for incompetence may either volunteer or be recommended by their principal to participate in the Peer Intervention Program program to improve their teaching skills.
Independent Consulting Teachers, provided by an independent third-party vendor agreed to by both the UFT and the DOE, will be assigned to work with U- or I-rated teachers and to tailor a specific plan for each participating teacher, based upon his or her individual needs. While the teacher is participating in the program, charges under section 3020-a will not be filed.
If, after the intervention is complete, charges are filed against a participant in the program, then the observation reports of the consulting teacher will be admissible in a 3020-a hearing. If a teacher is denied the right to participate, or the teacher refuses to participate in the program, that is also admissible in the 3020-a proceeding. As a result of this program, principals should no longer be able to railroad teachers based upon personality conflicts or pettiness.
For more details, see Article 21J of the contract.