Principals hit new rules for teachers

The city principals union ripped into New York City leaders Saturday morning over a last-minute staffing agreement between the Education Department and teachers union that changes the rules on teachers working from home — just days before in-person schooling is set to open for hundreds of thousands of elementary students.

“The chancellor and his team have once again demonstrated a complete lack of respect for school leaders,” Council of School Supervisors and Administrators President Mark Cannizzaro wrote in an email update to members.

“It astounds us that they seemingly had no plans to notify and debrief principals, who must now somehow find a way to implement their new agreement, before it was distributed widely,” he said.

The new agreement between the Education Department and United Federation of Teachers allows teachers without any in-person responsibilities to work from home, and gives additional leeway to teachers living with vulnerable family members to apply to work remotely.

The deal won praise from some city teachers who argued that it’s absurd they should have to report to schools and risk COVID-19 exposure if they ’re not needed in the building.

But the changes could complicate an already precarious staffing balance for city principals, who are short thousands of teachers to cover both remote and in-person classes.

With city elementary schools set to open Tuesday, and middle and high schools slated to start Thursday, “far too many [staffing] requests have still not been fulfilled,” Cannizzaro wrote in the Saturday update.

Teachers previously ineligible to work from home may now get leave under the new guidance, throwing another wrench into principals’ plans.

Education officials said the new guidance goes into effect Oct. 5, and “only applies to the extent possible.”