Apply for a remote work accommodation
Dear UFT Member,
The Department of Education’s systemwide reasonable accommodation process opens today. You may submit an online application if you are considered at higher risk of severe illness if you contract COVID-19.
The UFT got the Department of Education to streamline its reasonable accommodation process. We wanted to make sure that everyone who is eligible to work remotely would be approved before the start of the school year in case school buildings open in September. That would never have been possible under the old system.
You are eligible for an accommodation to work remotely if school buildings reopen if:
●you are at least age 65 as of Dec. 31, 2020; or
●you have an underlying medical condition as set forth by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
If you are applying based on your age, you do not have to verify your age or provide any other medical documentation.
If you are applying based on your health, you must provide a signed document from a licensed medical practitioner clearly stating:
●what your underlying medical condition(s) is, and
●how it places you at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
Please use the DOE’s Self-Service Online Leave Application System (SOLAS) to apply for an accommodation.
Please submit your application as soon as possible and preferably by July 31, 2020, to allow time for your accommodation to be approved by September. Read these step-by-step application instructions (you must be logged in to the DOE employee website to access them).
According to the legal definition under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a reasonable accommodation can only be granted to the person with the medical condition. We are still in discussions with the city and the DOE about other personal circumstances we know our members face.
The reasonable accommodation process is open to all DOE employees. The UFT strongly encourages all members who wish to have an accommodation to work remotely to apply now.
For more information on the DOE’s reasonable accommodations policy, visit the HR Connect Employee Portal (you must log in with your DOE User ID and password) and search for “COVID-19 Reasonable Accommodations.”
The DOE’s Office of Disability Accommodations and its Division of Human Resource’s Office of Medical, Leaves and Benefits will review applications. The review will be done in accordance with the reasonable accommodations process under the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are denied an accommodation, you may reapply if you have different or additional documentation.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact us at 212-331-6311. You may also email the DOE at RArequest@schools.nyc.gov.
Stay safe and healthy.
Sincerely,
Michael Mulgrew
UFT President
I have a rare condition that is not included on the CDC's list. It's called Anal Glaucoma because I can't see my ass going back to work!
ReplyDeleteI have that too. The remedy is a wildcat strike.
ReplyDeleteSo they are admitting the schools are unsafe to work in.
ReplyDeleteIf we are told September will be in person and as teachers we don't feel it's safe, what are the chances there will be a protest? I'M READY! So far parents have been sent surveys, but i want the survey that asks how much hand sanitizer I think I'll need, or how much disinfectant I want, the size gloves I need, N95 mask a new one each day. I'd like a survey that asks me how my day goes; working in special ed it's a little more hands on. I'd like a survey where teachers and paraprofessionals can pick what they feel comfortable with and ask questions on how they plan on preventing US from getting sick!
ReplyDeleteAlso, WHAT IS OUR UNION DOING FOR US? I'm very pro union usually. But as of late, I'm almost regretting paying the dues!!! We lost spring break, fine
We don't have a school schedule, fine
But we don't have a say on what is needed for US to feel comfortable in september! That I'm not ok with!!
STOP ASKING PARENTS WHO JUST WANT THEIR KIDS OUT OF THE HOUSE!!! ASK US WHAT WE NEED TO MAKE IN PERSON LEARNING WORK!!!
The schools are not safe for anyone. And they know it.
ReplyDeleteAnd we know it.
Teacher unions put up no resistance to corporate driven ed reforms, why do you think they will resist pressure to push you back into a dangerous situation in the classroom with the contagion still waiting in the wings?
ReplyDeleteThe age 65 cutoff is not based on the CDC data. The cutoff should be age 50.
ReplyDeleteLook at the CDC web site and consider the age risk graph. The DOE decision is capricious and arbitrary and it makes absolutely no consideration of the heightened risks for people ages
50 to 65. In short, it is not based on science.
Does anyone else get the feeling that they want more of of us dead? The 70 teachers that sacrificed their lives in March and April have not satisfied their blood lust. Their venom towards the public school teachers of NY city is without end.
65? The powers know the vast number of educators are under 65. There are probably a higher % of ATRs who meet that criteria. Da@n shame. Blatantly disrespectful.
DeleteWell , Mulgrew folded like a cheap suit once again.
ReplyDeleteThis is bullshit...I am a single mom that would like to opt out my 8 year old from blended remote learning to full remote learning.. this is UNFAIR that I am being force to teach a blended remote learning program and my child will then be forced as well to be sent to school and participate in a blended remote learning program during Covid-19 pandemic.
ReplyDeleteI found this language from the DOE version of the email to be quite interesting:
ReplyDelete"Central, field and borough staff can also apply through this process but may want to wait for more guidance regarding the DOE’s plan for returning to offices before considering submission of an application for reasonable accommodations".
So there is a possibility that those offices remain remote while we are in the Petri dishes each day?
Keep pummeling the UFT with emails, everyone- let your voices be heard that we will NOT be guinea pigs.
Duespayers are suckers.
ReplyDelete100k idiots. what did you expect?
ReplyDeleteOn CNN, Anderson Cooper mentioned he knows various people that have had COVID-19. He indicated that those same people are having lingering issues (lung, cardiovascular, unexplained tingling, no sense of taste, etc.). Today on CNN, Chris Cuomo confirmed this because he continues to have issues and that those that have had the virus can get it again. Tom Hanks indicated he had an antigen test and his antigen level is low meaning he is not immune.
ReplyDeleteIn other countries, there are cases where people have contracted the virus again.
There is concern that COVID-19 will come back stronger.
Agree, contact UFT via email with concerns.
If precautions are not in place, including high quality ventilation, what is the UFT going to do? Mulgrew said that he will not put his members in danger. Well, what will be done? Can count on me to rebel. I'm in.
Those that worked in schools that passed away from COVID-19 were not 65 and over. They were younger.
ReplyDeleteThe UFT and DOE need to have a checklist of all the prerequisites that need to be met to open up a school in detail. This checklist needs to be sent to all members/employees.
ReplyDeleteThey will not be able to meet this. They are full of it.
Wake up. We keep saying the same thing. You keep paying dues and they are gonna send you right back in. Good luck. Glad to be retired.
ReplyDeleteCNN for your info wow. Lot more places to go besides fox and the liberal agenda media for information.
ReplyDeleteWho gives two shits what anderson cooper has to say?
https://www.hernandosun.com/article/new-york-governors-brother-breaks-quarantine-rule
Apply if you have to most teachers are under 45, unless we get a spike before school got to attempt to get students back in school.