NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Four New York City teachers are hoping to take their fight to stop the city’s vaccine mandate to the Supreme Court.
They claim the mandate violates their rights.
As CBS2 political reporter Marcia Kramer explains, it’s another attempt to stop Mayor Bill de Blasio from forcing teachers and paraprofessionals to get the COVID vaccine in order to teach in city schools.
This time, four school employees have gone to the Supreme Court, filing an emergency application.
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“I definitely will not be getting this vaccine … I consulted my God, my religious leaders, my family, and this is the decision that I’ve come to. I don’t do this lightly. I mean, I was out here fighting every day last year for these schools to open because I truly believe in public education,” teacher Stephanie Edmonds told CBS2 Tuesday.
From the moment the mayor decided to impose a vaccine mandate, a group of New York City teachers, about 3%, have been adamantly opposed to being forced to get the shot.
Now, four of them have filed an emergency petition with Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, asking her to stop the mayor from enforcing the vaccine edict, which goes into effect at 5 p.m. Friday.
Their main argument is that their rights are being violated because they are not allowed a testing option, like other municipal workers.
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They claim that the mayor’s order will “force thousands of unvaccinated public school employees to lose their jobs, while other municipal employees, including those who have significant contact with children, are allowed to opt out of the vaccine mandate through weekly COVID-19 testing.”
Lawyers for the teachers and other school employees argue that forcing them to get the vaccine or lose their jobs is the “epitome of government overreach,” a violation of their constitutional right to due process and equal protection.
They are seeking an injunction.
CBS2 reached out to the city for a response, but they have not gotten back to us. We are still waiting to see if the injunction is granted.
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