December 3,2024
FROM CONGRESSMAN LANGWORTHY: Recently, Congressman Nick Langworthy (NY-23) led members of New York’s Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to New York City Department of Education (NYC-DOE) Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos, demanding answers and accountability for the reported use of “Problem Codes” to flag educators who lawfully declined COVID-19 vaccinations. These codes, originally intended to flag employees for severe misconduct, such as child abuse, are being applied to unvaccinated teachers, resulting in career-damaging consequences.
“The continued use of Problem Codes to unjustly flag educators is a blatant overreach with serious career-damaging consequences,” the lawmakers wrote. “Shockingly, the same Problem Code used to flag unvaccinated teachers is also utilized for individuals accused of molesting, raping, or harming a child.”
“It is unacceptable that the Department has remained silent on this issue, allowing harmful practices to persist,” the lawmakers continued. “Dedicated educators who lawfully exercised their rights must not be subjected to this kind of mistreatment.”
The letter highlights significant concerns over City Hall’s earlier denials of these Problem Codes’ impact. Internal NYC-DOE emails have since revealed that Problem Codes were applied to educators placed on vaccine-mandate leave and linked to their fingerprints, which were subsequently shared with external agencies like the FBI and New York Criminal Justice Services.
The lawmakers called on Chancellor Aviles-Ramos to address the purpose and usage of Problem Codes within the NYC-DOE, discrepancies between City Hall’s statements and evidence of external consequences tied to Problem Codes, as well as the process for removing Problem Codes and plans to prevent future misuse.
This follows a recent report by the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, which concluded that COVID-19 vaccine mandates were ineffective, undermined individual freedoms, and had lasting negative impacts on employment, military readiness, and public trust in health authorities.
Congressman Langworthy’s letter was cosigned by Representatives Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Claudia Tenney (NY-24), Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Mike Lawler (NY-17), and Marc Molinaro (NY-19). The letter is also supported by outside groups, including Children’s Health Defense and New York Teachers for Choice.
