Curses! A teacher who allegedly used a Spanish expletive in class is suing the Department of Education for fining him $15,000.
In papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, George Washington HS teacher Carlos Garcia denied ever saying the Spanish c-word, but says that even if he did, $15,000 is too much to put in the swear jar.
The filing says Garcia was charged with dropping the c-bomb during the 2008-2009 school year, when some of the juniors in his Washington Heights history class “did not behave and listen to instruction.” He has since been taken out of the classroom.
Garcia “denied using this word. Nevertheless, even if he did use this word, the meaning of the word comes into question,” the filing says.
While the city Department of Education “considers it to mean ‘f – – -‘ and ‘s – – -,’ the petitioner states that the word has different meanings depending on the context,” the filing says.
According to Wiktionary, the word is considered “a fairly mild expletive” in some regions.
Elizabeth Thomas, a spokeswoman for the city Law Department, declined comment, saying her agency has not yet seen the petition.