by Michael Kane
10-16-2020
This week I emailed the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU). Today they called me to inform me of their support for our concerns regarding mandatory in-school testing of teachers and protecting individual sovereignty over our own DNA.
In addition, I have a meeting tomorrow morning with an extremely prominent, high-powered civil rights attorney who for now will remain nameless.
To date, I have heard of not one single teacher being placed on unpaid leave for not signing the NYCDOE consent form for random COVID testing. As a teacher I have not signed the form and, today, for the first time, I urge all NYC teachers to not sign the consent form and if you have already signed it I suggest you revoke your consent.
I am not a lawyer, and I am not giving you legal advise. It is possible you will be placed on unpaid leave if you don’t sign the consent. However the NYCDOE & the UFT are on such horrifically shaky legal ground I would be SHOCKED if they placed someone on unpaid leave for not signing this secretive, likely-illegal consent form. In fact I believe if they did place a teacher on leave they would be on the hook for a lawsuit seeking millions of dollars in damages.
Again, I am not a lawyer and no one should take this as legal advise. It is what I would do, and will do, moving forward myself unless a lawyer advises me otherwise. If I do receive any credible legal advise from such an attorney I will immediately update what I have written here for everyone’s benefit.
I have not signed the NYC DOE consent form for testing, and until something changes with transparency and trust I WILL NOT be signing it.
Teachers For Choice 