NEW YORK A high school teacher who was fired earlier this year for showing up for jury duty with heroin in his backpack 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.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg added that the ruling "shows a callous indifference to the well-being of our students."
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.
Esteban's case will remain unresolved while the city pursues an appeal. There was no immediate response to a message left Thursday with Esteban's attorney.
"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."
