New York Mandate Podcast, Ep. 12: Art & ENL Teacher

“What's really safe for the kids at this point? Because what's going on in the schools is we have shortages. We have terrible stories of these people that should not be with children that are in schools as bodies. . . . They're not getting stable education. So it really does make you ask, [is] the cost of this mandate the mental health of the children, the stability, their academic growth? What is helping and what is hurting them?” - NYC teacher

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In this episode of the New York Mandate podcast, I talk with someone who has been a teacher since 2010. She was teaching art and English as a new language (ENL) at a New York City public middle school when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

She was granted a 30-day medical exemption to the NYC vaccine mandate for teachers in October 2021. Because she has an autoimmune condition, her doctors had advised her not to take a vaccine.

After a series of bureaucratic failures and in the midst of dealing with serious illness and death in her family, her request for an extension of her medical exemption was denied in November 2021. She was put on unpaid leave at the end of November and terminated in February 2022.

She was officially terminated for misconduct because she did not take a vaccine. She talked with me about the ramifications of that status, including the possibility of losing her certification, being blacklisted from teaching elsewhere with a “problem code” in her fingerprint file, and being barred from entering her school to say goodbye to her students.

We also talked about what she loves about teaching and why she’s looking at leaving the field.

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Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:

AdvocatzThis site run by Betsy Combier offers news and information about laws and regulations related to education in New York. Combier is a long-time advocate for teachers facing 3020-a hearings.

3020-a Teacher Tenure HearingsTenured educators in New York may only be terminated if there is “just cause” pursuant to Education Law §3020.  Those facing termination are entitled to challenge the charges against them in a 3020-a hearing.

United Federation of TeachersThe UFT is the union that represents teachers in the New York City public school system.

New York City Department of EducationThe DOE manages New York City’s public school system, which is the largest in the United States.

Announcement of NYC Department of Education Employee Vaccine Mandate This is the August 23, 2021, announcement of the vaccine mandate for New York City Department of Education employees by then Mayor Bill de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter and Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi.

Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination for City Employees and Certain City ContractorsThis is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on October 20, 2021 requiring New York City municipal employees and contractors, including teachers, to be vaccinated.

Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination in the WorkplaceThis is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on December 13, 2021 requiring all workers in New York City who work in a workplace or interact with other workers or the public to be vaccinated.

NYC Vaccination Requirement: WorkplacesThis is where you can find current information on New York City’s workplace vaccination requirements.

About the New York Mandate Podcast

The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I’ll be talking with workers who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.

In late 2021, the city introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio.

Current mayor Eric Adams continues to support the mandates, and they now extend to most working people in the city of New York. Private sector employers are required to affirm that their employees have been vaccinated, and public sector employees of city agencies have been terminated or put on unpaid leave for failing to comply with the vaccine requirement.

The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.

Join the Conversation

Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a New York vaccine mandate? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].