UPK Classes In Jeopardy of Closing As Last Resort Supreme Court Lawsuit Fails

by CrownHeights.info

To vaccinate, or not to vaccinate. It might be the difference between having preschool classes or not.

The Monday deadline to have all State paid school teachers vaccinated is almost upon us, and many thousands of teachers remain unvaccinated. These state teachers, which are primarily Public School teachers, also include all UPK class teachers.

According to the latest Department of Education data, 90% of all state teachers have been vaccinated, still leaving thousands without the jab. Many of those holding out had been hoping that the U.S. Supreme Court would issue an emergency injunction, but Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Friday evening denied the request from teachers, leaving them only the choice of the jab or losing their teaching position.

Without an injunction, unvaccinated teachers are faced with the prospect of being forced out of their classrooms and into clerical or administrative positions handed down by the state. While the teachers would still have paying jobs, it would leave the classrooms without teachers, which will either be forced to close or find vaccinated substitutes.

While some Jewish schools include UPK preschool classes, most in Crown Heights are not state funded, rather use Federal funding under the HeadStart program. For now, the HeadStart programs are safe, with their vaccination deadline coming up this coming January.

Updates on the Crown Heights UPK programs are expected to be released Sunday afternoon, as Schools complete preparations for the deadline.