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New York City teachers kicked out of jobs over immunization warrant hit back with lawsuit, with two educators telling “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday they couldn’t get exemptions to continue working in schools. schools.
“It saddens me. I love my kids and I love the community I work in and I love the staff at my school,” said Trinidad Smith, who has taught in Brooklyn for 20 years.
“I’m disappointed that I can’t be there with my students right now,” Ainsley Earhardt Nwakaego Nwaifejokwu, a teacher from the Bronx for 11 years, told host.
“I was really looking forward to coming back to the school year so that we can work with the students because they have already lost two years. We thought this was going to be the year when we were going to make up for these losses,” he said. she declared. added.
COVID VACCINE MANDATE COMES INTO FORCE FOR NYC TEACHERS AND STAFF
Teachers last week asked the United States Supreme Court for an emergency injunction blocking the implementation of New York City’s vaccination mandate for all public school employees.
About 148,000 public school workers had until 5 p.m. on Oct. 1 to receive at least their first vaccine. Failure to do so would result in a suspension without pay when schools open on October 4.
“An initial deadline earlier this week was delayed by a court challenge. A federal appeal committee ruled on Monday that the nation’s largest school district can move forward with the warrant,” the Associated reported. Press.
Smith said the teachers were trying to get a temporary restraining order, which is a “smaller trial” among several lawsuits going “simultaneously.”
“This is definitely the last attempt for us. And we hope that at least it will save us some time so that we have the opportunity to be heard in the Supreme Court to at least plead our case because it is on what this country is founded, is the occasion to be at least heard.
Nwaifejokwu “hopes” that his religious exemption will be accepted. She said it seemed like most exemptions or medical accommodations weren’t accepted.
“We think it was unfair because we have the right to ask for these exceptions and accommodations,” she added.
Smith did not ask for a religious exemption.
“Because [the city] came in and made new stipulations on what would be accepted and it almost made it impossible for us to have a right under these new stipulations that [de Blasio] implement.”
New York City teachers and other school staff were expected to be vaccinated versus COVID-19[female[feminine when the bell rang on Monday morning, in one of the first school District mandates across the country requiring employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Mayor Bill de Blasio gave a final warning to the city’s approximately 148,000 public school workers on Friday, saying unvaccinated employees would be put on unpaid leave and not be allowed to work this week. The city planned to bring in replacements where needed.
Implementing the mandate smoothly can be a challenge for de Blasio, a Democrat who has bragged about the city’s record in keeping school buildings open for most of the last school year, when others districts have switched to distance education. New York City is not offering a remote option this year.
De Blasio said 90% of Education Ministry employees had received at least one dose of the vaccine, including 93% of teachers and 98% of principals, on Friday.
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The vaccination mandate in the country’s largest school system does not include a testing option but allows for medical and religious exemptions. It was due to go into effect last week but was delayed when a federal appeals court granted a temporary injunction. An appeal board overturned this decision three days later.
A similar mandate is expected to go into effect in Los Angeles on October 15.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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