Congratulations on accepting your job offer! Once you have received and accepted your job offer at the DOE, there are some important steps to complete before you arrive for your first day of work. This page includes important information about those steps, including required documentation, steps for your pre-hire background and certification checks, and getting started with DOE Systems.
Your hiring manager and HR Director should work closely with you as you move through these steps. Use this page as a quick reference for tracking your progress and finding necessary resources.
Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination
Effective August 2, 2021, all persons newly hired for employment by any City agency, including the NYCDOE, are required to provide proof of having received at least one dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine, unless they have been granted a reasonable accommodation for religious or medical reasons.
Once you receive an NYCDOE email address, you will be able to access the DOE’s Vaccination Portal. You should use the COVID-19 Vaccine portal to upload your proof of vaccination.
Please note that employees who have received one dose but who are not fully vaccinated by the start of their employment are still required to complete any remaining doses.
Reasonable Accommodations
COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate Related Exemption or Accommodation
Employees may now apply for a COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate Related Exemption or Accommodation. This COVID-19 Vaccine Related Exemption and Accommodation application is for:
- Religious Exemption requests to the mandatory vaccination policy
- Medical Exemption requests to the mandatory vaccination policy
- Medical Accommodation requests where an employee is vaccinated but is unable to mount an immune response to COVID-19 due to preexisting immune conditions.
Application Process
Applications should be made via the following process:
- Applications must be made using the Self-Service Online Leave Application System.
- In SOLAS, employees should select the initial option to "Request Accommodation" and then the option to apply for an Exemption and Accommodation for COVID Vaccine-Related Reasons, and then indicate the category for the application.
- All applications require supporting documentation which must be submitted at the time of application.
Applications from UFT-represented employees must be made by 5:00 pm on Monday, September 20. Deadlines for other employee groups may apply.
Eligibility
At this time, all regular employees may apply for this vaccine-related exemption and accommodation. Applications will be reviewed in accordance with applicable law and agreements/awards with their collective bargaining unit.
Other Accommodation Requests
For employees applying for other accommodation requests, the regular, pre-pandemic reasonable accommodation application is available online. All applications will require up to date, supporting medical documentation and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis consistent with the law.
If you would like to request such an accommodation, please use the Self-Service Online Leave Application System.
Applicant Gateway
Before you can begin work at the DOE, you must create or log into your existing account with the DOE’s Applicant Gateway System and complete and submit all required forms.
Fingerprinting
If you do not have fingerprint results on file with the NYCDOE, email the HR Connect Service Center at HRCServiceCenter@schools.nyc.gov after completing all forms in Applicant Gateway, to schedule an appointment for fingerprinting. Please note that you should not contact the Service Center until you have completed your online forms, and fingerprinting is by appointment only—you will be turned away if you go to the Service Center without an appointment. Also, review this fact sheet with important information about fingerprinting and the Identity History Summary.
I-9 Form Documentation
If you are required to complete an electronic I-9 form in Applicant Gateway, you will be able to present documentation at the time of your fingerprinting appointment. If you already have fingerprints on file with the DOE but need to complete your I-9 requirement, you must email your supporting documentation to HRCServiceCenter@schools.nyc.gov. If you are not sure whether you need to complete this step, please ask your HR Director.
Proof of Certification
Teachers, guidance counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, and other school-based staff must show proof of certification in addition to submitting fingerprints in order to begin working. If you hold a current New York State Education Department certificate, we can validate your credential automatically. Visit the Certification page and TeachNYC.net to learn more.
Welcome Letter and DOE Login
Once receive clearance to begin work, you will receive a welcome letter authorizing you to begin work, including information to get you started. Review the welcome letter and refer to your HR Director or point person for any clarifications.
You will also receive two emails when you receive your welcome letter: one with your user ID and DOE email account, and another with your password information for DOE systems. Once you have your DOE user ID and password, you can begin to use key DOE systems for accessing human resources forms and information.
Once you have your login, you will be able to go to the NYCDOE InfoHub and click “Employee Sign-in” at the top right. Once signed in, you will have access to many pages with information for DOE employees—go to “DOE Topics,” click “Human Resources,” and from there explore the page called “New Employees—Beginning Work at the DOE”.
If you are a new employee in the application and clearance stage and have questions, please reach out to your hiring manager or your Human Resources Director.