Thursday, January 20, 2022

CLARIFICATION FROM UFT ON REMOTE WORK

 From the weekly UFT COVID-19 update. Thanks to a longtime friend for getting this to us.


Clarification around providing remote work for students
Despite recent communications from the DOE that suggest the contrary, there is no new DOE-UFT agreement on providing remote work for students who are at home for reasons other than testing positive for COVID-19. The DOE-UFT Memorandum of Agreement on Remote Instruction signed in September 2021 is still in effect. Under that agreement, teachers and related service providers are eligible for payment for the office hours and other instructional support they provide for students who tested positive for COVID-19 and must quarantine at home.

If a UFT member puts in extra instruction/office hours during the workday on a prep or during their lunch period for these students, the member should be paid for that time at the coverage rate. If this work is done after school, the member should receive per-session pay up to two hours for elementary school and up to three hours for middle and high school if teaching more than one course.


Absences not related to a COVID quarantine

Teachers cannot be required to provide asynchronous instruction and office hours as set forth in the agreement on remote instruction in these situations:
  • A student fails the health screening and there is no COVID-19 test
  • A student is absent for reasons not related to COVID
  • A family is keeping a student home for safety reasons and is requesting all assignments
Staff are expected to engage in normal pre-pandemic practices with respect to these student absences.

The DOE has said that if staff are willing and their supervisor approves, they may provide office hours and asynchronous instruction for these students but they must be compensated accordingly. No principal should be pressuring teachers to provide remote work online for students who are absent for reasons other than to quarantine or isolate.

The UFT’s position is that a posting should be created to pay per session for instructional planning and office hours for children who are absent for reasons other than to quarantine. Staff who are interested could apply.

The school chapter leader should report any violations of the DOE-UFT Memorandum of Agreement on Remote Instruction in an operational issues complaint on behalf of all affected staff.
See our Instructional Issues FAQ

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, so this is why there was no press release. No agreement was ever reached.

Anonymous said...

The Mayor realized that people knew he really has no intention on offering remote. He only cares about increasing attendance.
Thanks to no Remote Option:
My January Grads will not be grads. My Freshman are will be behind in credits. Students will not be prepared for Regents Exams in June. Students will not show up for Regents Exams. More learning loss than our mayor is aware of.

Anonymous said...

THE FAILURE TO EDUCATE CHILDREN AS A RESULT OF MAYORAL CONTROL.

Anonymous said...

I have a feeling that whatever the new remote option is, the city will send out an email tonight explaining what it is along with how informing that parents will have a window of time to opt in for rest of the year. The DOE loves sending out this kind of stuff on Friday's so they don't have to answer questions till Monday.

Anonymous said...

Too late for this Semester. Many teachers have only 40% of their kids passing. This is mostly due to attendance and no Remote Option. Someone mentioned being questioned about passing rates in another blog. Just tell the Admin to ask the mayor not the teachers.

Our own principal is thinking of Home Schooling her kids online until this mess is cleared up.

Anonymous said...

As for percentages I tell them I'm teaching people, not selling washing machines. There is no such thing as a quota when it comes to passing students. You view each student as an individual.

Anonymous said...

As a veteran middle school teacher, you have to pass them all in middle school. Until you see what holdovers can do to a middle school, you have no idea the impact of holding a kid back can do.

It impacts them socially, emotionally and mentally. They take it out on the other kids and make a class hard to teach.

And for what? A kid repeating the 6th grade accomplishes nothing. They will still show up late, do zero work and be pushed through the next year.

Where I work we have a few kids in 8th grade who are going to turn 16 and they just are making life difficult.

Oh, and did I mention those are the kids the superintendents always ask what’s happening in the class when they walk in? You can set your watches to it.

In conclusion, take the high moral ground of thinking this means something these grades and move on. Our job is to teach the kids who want to learn and move the kids up and out who don’t care.

If I have to lose a few who don’t care, so be it.

I’ll lose a few battles to take more time for families that care.

I’m not a social worker and I don’t have magical powers. Quite frankly, I don’t care why kids have certain issues and don’t care. Not my problem! Just pass them and let them move on with their lives and the ball is in their court. Maybe some day they will go back to school. If not, also not my issue!

Anonymous said...

Teachers in my school, and I'm sure in every school, are simply telling students they can stay home and do the work on the computer. Attendance doesn't count. No need to have contact with a teacher. I guess illiterate 20 year old students are self teaching now. Grade fraud. Pathetic. Too bad for the few teachers who demand accountability. Then I'm the problem. Just have a small standard, please.