School Counselors Chapter Newsletter - January 2026

Happy New Year! I hope the new year has been productive for you so far.

I would like to remind you of your rights and responsibilities regarding proctoring assignments ahead of exams season, administrative assignments outside normal counseling duties and the 55 minutes of remote work each week. Regents exams will be held from Tuesday, Jan. 20, to Friday, Jan. 23. In addition, the DOE will administer PSATs to sophomores and SATs to juniors during school hours in March and April.

I hope the information below is helpful to you as you continue your work this school year. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me with questions or concerns. Your union is here for you.

In solidarity,

Rosemarie Thompson
RThompson[at] uft[dot] org(RThompson[at]uft[dot]org)

Guidance for proctoring assignments

The following guidance was issued in Principals' Digest on Tuesday, Jan. 6:

School counselors should not be placed on the schedule as test room proctors or hall monitors unless in an emergency (e.g., other staff are unavailable).

This applies not only to Regents exams, but to any schoolwide exams, including but not limited to midterm walk-ins, PSATs/SATs for high school students and English language arts and math exams for elementary and middle school students.

Article 7B of the DOE-UFT contract governs our rights when asked to perform assignments outside of our normal roles. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with this important part of our collective bargaining agreement.

Review Article 7B

Please note: You must be logged into the UFT website to read this.

Guidance for administrative assignments

The following guidance was issued in Principals' Digest on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025:

As in previous years, school counselors shall not be given any administrative assignments such as lunch, hall, bus or yard duty. However, at times, there may be a need for counselors to assist their students with social-emotional needs during the student's lunch period, and if so, a supervisor may ask the counselor do it. In general, it is understood that counseling is confidential in nature. Therefore, on those occasions when the counselor is needed in the lunchroom to perform counseling, the professional discretion of the supervisor, in consultation with the counselor, should be used to determine whether to stay or leave the lunchroom to perform counseling in a location that, to the extent possible, ensures confidentiality.

These rights are also covered by Article 7B of our contract.

Implementing 55 minutes of remote work

The current DOE-UFT contract offers more autonomy to decide when to do administrative work and paperwork. We are allowed to work remotely for up to 55 minutes per week to conduct these tasks. These minutes are not additional - they are part of our workday. We continue to work six and a half hours, five days a week, exclusive of lunch.

Please find more specific information regarding the 55 minutes of remote work below. If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact me.

• You must determine the day(s) you would like to use the time. You can choose to use it all in one day or break it up throughout the week, but it must be clearly established on your schedule, in addition to the work you intend to complete, as per the collective bargaining agreement. The work may remain the same for the entire school year or change depending on what you'd prefer to get done, but you must update your schedule to reflect any changes. The day(s) you select must be consistent for the entire school year.
• If you do not use your time weekly, it is not carried over to the following week. There is no "banking" of remote work time. For instance, if you select Thursday as your day to perform remote work and Thanksgiving arrives, you will not get to use two days the following week. Additionally, there is no travel time. We follow the usual timekeeping procedures. If you pause your workday to leave early, you leave (following your school's timekeeping procedures,) get to where you're going and start your 55 minutes. Once your time is completed, you have fulfilled your six-and-a-half-hour contractual workday. The same rule applies if you use your hour in the morning: You must complete your work in the same day, unless your supervisor agrees to allow you complete your work another day. If your supervisor or the DOE believes that you are using your time inappropriately, it may be revoked.
• We do not have to complete logs, and supervisors may not ask for one or create one for you. However, you should keep track of your work, and your supervisor may meet with you to review how you spend your remote time. They may also check any DOE system you use, as the work is time-stamped. For instance, they may double-check if you say you are using iLog or completing IPRs or SESIS work. Remember, the work you intend to do must be on your schedule, eliminating the need for a log. The supervisor must defer to that schedule if they have any questions about your work.
• Your supervisor cannot deny your use of the time. They may go back and forth with you if they do not agree with the day(s) you select to use. If you have not already done so, please add the 55 minutes to your schedule. If you work with multiple counselors, please collaborate with one another when scheduling your 55-minute windows to avoid conflict and so students and staff know when you're unavailable.

Counselor Veronica Herrera's interview in the New York Teacher

I would like to give a special shout-out to Hillcrest HS counselor Veronica Herrea, whose work as a college and career counselor was highlighted in the December edition of the New York Teacher.

Veronica speaks about what inspired her to become a high school counselor, the day-to-day responsibilities in the role, the challenges she and her students faced during the pandemic and her career highlights. Her level of care and support for students is evident in the interview.

Congratulations to Veronica on this stellar feature!

Read the interview online

Register for the 22nd annual UFT School Counselors Conference

Please register for our annual conference. It's an excellent opportunity to network with colleagues, listen to guest speakers and develop your skills as school counselors.

Date: Saturday, March 28
Time: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: Shanker Hall, 2nd floor, UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway

Register now