NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — New York City must provide certain medical and religious exemptions for coronavirus vaccines to public teachers, dealing a hit to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s vaccination mandate.
The city has to give Education Department teachers with very specific medical conditions and religious beliefs non-classroom work, an arbitrator ruled later Friday — right before the start of the school year.
“As a group, teachers have overwhelmingly supported the vaccine, but we have members with medical conditions or other reasons for declining vaccination,” said Michael Mulgrew, president of the UFT.
“After our demand for independent arbitration, the city backed off its initial position that all unvaccinated personnel be removed from payroll, and will offer out-of-classroom work for those with certified medical or other conditions,” he added.
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The decision, from arbitrator Martin Scheinman, also creates an extended leave and severance policy for teachers who refuse to get vaccinates.
All unvaccinated school employees seeking exemptions must submit their requests by the end of the business day Sept. 20, according to the ruling, and can stay on payroll while their request is being decided.
Unvaccinated employees who do not apply for medical or religious exemptions and do not have at least one vaccine dose by Sept. 27 will be removed from payroll the next day, according to the ruling.
Those employees then have the option to either resign with a severance package; get vaccinated by Nov. 30 and return; or take extended leave without pay until Sept. 5, 2022.
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The ruling outlines the process for determining legitimate medical issues and religious beliefs that warrant exemptions. Religious exemptions must come in writing directly from religious officials — officials who have not publicly spoken in support of vaccines, according to the ruling.
Exemptions will not be granted for “personal, political or philosophical” beliefs, the ruling notes.
About 25% of all DOE staff were still unvaccinated as of Sept. 7, according to city data.
The UFT welcomed the ruling, but addied that doesn’t get to the core of whether the city has the legal authority to mandate vaccines for city workers.
“Our vaccine mandate was put into place for the health and safety of our children, and the protection of our employees," Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter said in a statement. "We’re pleased that the binding Arbitration was issued before the first day of school and we will swiftly implement the terms. There will be over 700 vaccination sites in our schools across the City every day next week, and we encourage all DOE employees to get vaccinated as soon as possible."