Orthodox Jewish teachers in NYC who were denied a religious observance day to prepare for Passover have lost their legal battle against the Department of Education.
Last year, the agency refused to give teachers a religious exemption to take off work to prepare for the holiday — the first time since 1999 the department had rejected such requests.
Teachers were forced to use a personal or vacation day if they wanted off to do the customary deep cleaning of their homes and the ritual of removing unleavened bread.
United Jewish Teachers President Moshe Spern slammed the decision. Moshe Spern/ X A grievance was filed by 20 observant Jewish teachers in May 2025. They were notified they lost in mid-February.
The United Federation of Teachers will decide if they ask for an arbitration hearing.
“We respect the religious observances of all employees and provide reasonable accommodations consistent with applicable regulations, collective bargaining agreements, and operational needs,” the DOE told The Post.
Spern slammed Samuels for the DOE’s ruling to uphold the decision. Gregory P. Mango An arbitrator ruled in 1999 that the DOE should grant religious observance days, and requests for time off were never denied in previous years, said United Jewish Teachers President Moshe Spern.
“The DOE and new Chancellor Samuels reaffirming an awful decision from last year is not only wrong but definitely borders on religious discrimination,” Spern alleged.
