Education: Court rules NY teacher unfairly fired

**Posted by Phineas

"Class, meet your new teacher!" — “Class, meet your new teacher!”

After all, he was only found carrying heroin while on jury duty

A high school teacher who was fired earlier this year for showing up for jury duty with 20 glassine envelopes of heroin stashed in a pack of cigarettes could get his job back.

A judge found that Damian Esteban’s firing was “unduly harsh” and ordered the Department of Education to impose a lesser punishment. City officials blasted the decision on Thursday, saying they would appeal.

“We cannot fathom how a teacher who took 20 bags of heroin into a courthouse is fit to stand in front of a classroom and teach the city’s school children,” Michael A. Cardozo, the city’s top lawyer, said in a statement.

Maybe he was planning a field trip on which the children would role-play being junkies.

Our children are in the best of hands.

(Crossposted at Public Secrets)

7 Responses to "Education: Court rules NY teacher unfairly fired"

Libertarian Advocate says:

September 22, 2013 at 2:21 pm

Cardozo is dead right on this Point. Maybe it’s time for mental health screenings of NY judges.
Nate says:

September 22, 2013 at 2:35 pm

Okay, I’m confused. He showed up for jury duty in a court full of law with 20 envelopes of HEROIN and he didn’t get arrested?????
ALman says:

September 22, 2013 at 4:20 pm

Here’s more:

Esteban’s troubles began last year when he was returning to a Manhattan courthouse after taking a break as a juror in a murder trial. While passing through security, courthouse officers discovered the heroin packets.

At the time, the 34-year-old Esteban was a teacher at Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design, making $64,500 a year.

He was kicked off the jury and charged with misdemeanor drug possession. He agreed to attend a treatment program in exchange for having the charge dropped.

And also,

“The conduct took place off the school site and no student was involved,” the judge wrote. “He has a spotless record as a teacher for five years. … The penalty of termination is excessive and shocking to the court’s sense of fairness.”

So glad that the court is so interested in “fairness” and all. Restores (cough, cough) my faith in the judicial system.
Drew the Infidel says:

September 22, 2013 at 7:32 pm

Any imbecile who would take heroin to the court house is not smart enough to teach anyone anything. And what, they do not do a drug screen as a condition of employment as a teacher?

The drugs constitute a felony which in TX is an automatic bar to holding a teaching certificate.
Carlos says:

September 23, 2013 at 12:41 am

It’s nice to see that Obhammud isn’t the only one who rules by fiat.

Come to think of it, so does the SCOTUS and most of the Circuits, especially the Ninth Circus in SanFranNanny’s territory.
TomTB says:

September 23, 2013 at 12:47 pm

I was born in, lived and worked and served on Jury duty in NYC, and this tops anything I’ve heard in a long time. Did the judge think 20 bags of heroin was for this teacher/jury member’s PERSONAL use???
tommy mc donnell says:

September 26, 2013 at 3:50 am

the american people need a vehicle for removing judges like this from the bench.

tomtb is right, you don’t think that guy is dealing?

Comments are closed.