Teachers in New York City, who were fired for refusing to comply with Covid vaccine mandates, must be given their jobs back and awarded full backpay, a judge has ruled.
The case was taken to the State Supreme Court by 10 employees of the New York City Education Department.
State Supreme Court Judge Ralph Porzio ruled that the decision to fire the teachers and deny them religious exemptions was unlawful, arbitrary, and capricious.
The group included school principals, teachers, and other educators.
They sued the city after they were fired over the draconian mandates.
In his 22-page opinion, the judge blasted the city for forcing teachers to get vaccinated against their will.
“This Court sees no rational basis for not allowing unvaccinated classroom teachers in amongst an admitted population of primarily unvaccinated students,” Porzio wrote.
“As such, the decision to summarily deny the classroom teachers amongst the Panel Petitioners based on undue hardship, without any further evidence of individualized analysis, is arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable.
“As such, each classroom teacher amongst the Panel Petitioners is entitled to a religious exemption from the Vaccine Mandate.”
The court ruled that the 10 public school employees are entitled to be re-hired in their