New York Mandate Podcast, Ep. 24: Education Paraprofessional Jeremy Goepel

“I was left with no choice. People say, ‘Oh, you had a choice.’ Yeah. My other choice was not being able to support my daughter or myself, and what—being homeless or depending on social services to help me out? Where does that get me? We're in a city where nobody was allowed to work unless they were vaccinated. . . . Some people did leave the state, but I couldn't do that for different reasons. I have my daughter here. There's a lot of reasons why I couldn't just pick up and leave the state.” - Jeremy Goepel

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In this episode of the New York Mandate podcast, I talk with Jeremy Goepel, who works as a teaching paraprofessional in the New York City public school system. He was put on leave without pay at the end of September 2021, when he decided not to comply with the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Jeremy had accepted an offer that the Department of Education made to employees who didn’t want to take the vaccine: go on leave without pay (LWOP) and retain your health insurance, without the right to take another job or receive unemployment benefits. Those who took this option also gave up the right to sue the DOE.

On September 5, 2022, the LWOP period for the estimated 1,300 DOE employees who took the deal expired, and the school year began. The employees were required to either show proof of having taken a first dose of the vaccine and report back to work, or be considered to have “voluntarily resigned.”

With a child to support and a need to stay in New York and make a living, Jeremy decided to take the vaccine and go back to work. He hadn’t had a change of heart about the vaccine and still didn’t want to take it, but on August 29, 2022, he went to a Walgreen’s and received a first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

I met up with Jeremy on the shore of Staten Island, and he talked with me about his difficult decision, his experience of the pandemic as a teacher and a parent, and how he made it through the year on LWOP.

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More from Jeremy Goepel:

Follow Jeremy Goepel on Twitter: @jeremygoepel

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

Unpaid Leave Option for UFT MembersYou can find some of the terms of the LWOP agreement for DOE employees who didn’t want to take a vaccine on this page. They were also required to waive their right to sue the DOE.

1,300 NYC School Staffers Must Now Get COVID Vaccine — Or Will Be Let GoThis is an August 2022 New York Post article about the DOE employee LWOP period ending.

Maniscalco v. New York City Department of EducationThis is the unsuccessful class-action lawsuit that teacher Rachel Maniscalco led against the DOE and city officials in 2021.

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.

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].