In New York City Schools, Substitute Teachers Are Systematically Denied Covid Sick Pay
![In school classroom full of children, a teacher silhouette of a teacher is filled in with microscopic coronaviruses.](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/F57t6ebTxs4hSymblohvw3MMtW61UUDAjMcgtzKZEXk/w:820/h:546/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9zdWItY292aWQtZmluYWwuanBn.jpg)
The state established Covid leave to compensate employees who fell ill during the pandemic. One group of essential workers has been unable to claim it.
This story was published in partnership with Chalkbeat New York, a newsroom that focuses on the efforts to improve schools for all children. You can sign up for their newsletter here.
This is the first installment in a two-part series reported with support from the Economic Hardship Reporting Project. Read part two.
This story was published in partnership with Chalkbeat New York, a newsroom that focuses on the efforts to improve schools for all children. You can sign up for their newsletter here.
This is the first installment in a two-part series reported with support from the Economic Hardship Reporting Project. Read part two.
“There’s no safety net for me.”
![A white man with a beard stands in front of a sunlit building with a cloudy sky overhead in New York City.](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/JHg3LO-0k0fo19ggUS8f3Mzh9iTvY0nd0jah9haLocw/w:820/h:546/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9zaGFuZS1sb3Jlbnplbi1tcHMuanBn.jpg)
“I’m hoping that at this point I am entitled to sick pay, as I cannot afford to take time off.”
“I don’t have anything to do with the money you’re missing.”
“Generally speaking substitutes would not be paid for any time not worked.”
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