The teachers union is planning to sue the NYC Department of Education after dozens of staffers were placed on unpaid leave for allegedly submitting fake vaccination cards.
The United Federation of Teachers said in a statement Friday it was told about 82 of its members had received unpaid leave notices from the DOE.
“Fraudulent vaccination cards are not only illegal, they also undermine the best line of protection our schools have against COVID-19 – universal adult vaccination," a department spokesman said.
been contacted by DOE about the investigation but it wasn't clear how many were suspended as a result of it
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox.> Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
The union demanded that any suspended employees be kept on payroll and receive hearings as the investigative process runs its course.
“The DOE did not change its intention to place these employees on unpaid leave. In response, we filed a notice of claim with the city that we intend to sue," a spokesperson for the UFT said late Friday.
In New York, it's a felony to create a fake vaccine card or submit false information about one's COVID-19 vaccine status -- it's also a violation of federal law.
Local
Other NYC agencies have faced similar scrutiny. The Department of Investigation launched a probe in November after accusations members of the FDNY and Department of Sanitation forged vaccine cards to dodge mandates.
Law enforcement agencies and the DOE's special commissioner of investigation are also investigating the case.
