Termination upheld after off-duty slur and documented discriminatory classroom conduct
On December 4, 2025, a New York appeals court upheld the termination of an NYC teacher for discriminatory conduct captured on video and in classrooms.
The case concerns Katina Garanes, a New York City Department of Education teacher with approximately 18 years of service and no prior disciplinary record. Her conduct came under scrutiny after a widely disseminated video, recorded off school grounds, showed her directing a racial insult at a woman, calling her an “Asian bitch.” That video triggered a Department of Education investigation, which identified additional discriminatory conduct inside her classroom.
Investigators reported multiple incidents involving students from Jewish, Muslim, Asian, Hispanic, and African American backgrounds. The record includes examples such as asking a student if he was sure he was Jewish and remarking that “everyone who is Jewish knows about this,” asking Muslim students to demonstrate their prayer and cleansing ritual in front of classmates, and telling a student in March 2020 that he did not need a mask because he was not Chinese. The Department pursued charges under Education Law § 3020‑a. After a hearing, the Hearing Officer sustained specifications tied to the off‑duty video and to discriminatory classroom conduct, and determined that termination was the appropriate penalty.
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