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By: Meyer Wolfsheim
A group of Orthodox Jewish educators in New York City has lost a formal grievance against the city’s public school system after officials refused to grant them a religious observance day to prepare for Passover, a break from a long-standing practice that had allowed such accommodations for decades.
Twenty observant Jewish teachers filed the complaint after the New York City Department of Education declined to approve the time off ahead of the 2025 Passover holiday, according to reporting by the New York Post. The educators argued that the denial forced them to choose between fulfilling important religious obligations and using their personal leave time.
Passover preparation can involve extensive religious rituals and household preparations, including removing all leavened foods from the home and conducting a thorough cleaning before the holiday begins. Many observant Jewish families also travel or prepare for traditional Seder meals that mark the start of the eight-day holiday.
According to the New York Post, teachers who wanted time off for those preparations were told they would need to use a personal day, vacation time, or adjust their schedules if they wanted to leave work early.
The dispute quickly escalated into a formal labor grievance filed in May 2025 by the group of teachers, who argued the decision violated past practice and unfairly burdened religious employees.
For more than two decades, requests for a Passover preparation day had routinely been approved, following a 1999 arbitration ruling that supported granting Jewish teachers time off to observe religious obligations related to the holiday, the New York Post reported.
However, the teachers were notified in mid-February that their grievance had been rejected.
The ruling means the Department of Education’s policy allowing teachers to use personal leave instead of granting a separate religious observance day will remain in place for now.
Advocates for the teachers say the decision represents a troubling shift in how the school system handles religious accommodations.
Moshe Spern, president of the United Jewish Teachers organization, criticized the outcome and suggested the policy could amount to discrimination against observant Jewish employees. As the New York Post reported, he argued that refusing the accommodation after decades of approval undermines the ability of religious teachers to practice their faith.
Spern also accused the school system of disregarding the importance of Passover preparations, which he said are deeply rooted in Jewish law and tradition.
The United Federation of Teachers, the union representing New York City educators, has not yet decided whether it will escalate the dispute further. According to the New York Post, union leaders are now weighing whether to pursue arbitration in an effort to challenge the decision and restore the prior accommodation policy.
City education officials, however, defended their approach.
In a statement cited by the New York Post, the Department of Education said it remains committed to respecting employees of all religious backgrounds while balancing operational needs within the nation’s largest public school system.
“We respect the religious observances of all employees and provide reasonable accommodations consistent with applicable regulations, collective bargaining agreements, and operational needs,” the agency said.
