Approximately 80 New York City teachers and staff were placed on unpaid leave as of Monday after being accused of submitting fake vaccination cards, according to NBC New York.
Teachers union sues: The United Federation of Teachers plans to sue the city’s Department of Education, stating that “the employees should not have been disciplined without a due process hearing and that the action violated the collective bargaining between the city and the union,” according to The Associated Press.
- The Department of Education stated that evidence had led them to believe these teachers had submitted false cards but have not yet disclosed what that evidence is, per AP.
- The teachers union stated that some of the employees had followed correct procedures and that the accusations were a mistake but did not hear back from the Department of Education. Nathaniel Styer, a spokesperson for the department, stated that these teachers did in fact receive a response, reported The New York Times.
Violation of federal law: Creating a fake vaccine card or submitting false information concerning one’s COVID-19 vaccine status is a felony in the state of New York, and is against federal law, according to NBC New York.
“Fraudulent vaccination cards are not only illegal, they also undermine the best line of protection our schools have against COVID-19 — universal adult vaccination. We immediately moved to put these employees — further than 100 — on leave without pay,” Styer said, according to Fox NYC.