Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Judge: "Furburger," "Blow Job" OK In Sex Ed Classroom
By
John Del Signore
Published May 21, 2010
Modified May 21, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published May 21, 2010
Modified May 21, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The New York State Department of Education syllabus says that a teacher instructing students about STDs and sex should encourage children to use words they understand. "If students use different terms," the syllabus says, "make sure they understand the relationship between both sets of terms." So during a class on HIV one day in 2008, Staten Island health teacher Faith Kramer did just that, writing down the clinical words for sexual organs, sexual acts and bodily fluids on the chalkboard, then asking the eighth grade students what language they used to talk about such matters. That's when the trouble started.
According to the Post, the students called out words like "furburger" and "schmeckle" and "blow job." (The Times reports that there were "two Yiddishisms for the male sexual organ," so we're guessing "schlong"? Or "putz"?) Some of the students transcribed the list of sex slang into their notebooks, and at least one parent called the school to complain. The next day Kramer, a 26-year veteran, was sent to the rubber room for four months. She was eventually reinstated, and while no formal charges were brought, the DOE ruled that Kramer violated a regulation prohibiting discipline "by use of language that tends to cause fear, physical or mental distress."
Kramer's now suing the city for a million dollars in damages for mental anguish, lawyer’s fees and the loss of extra after-school work. (The disciplinary action prevents her from making extra money grading standardized tests or monitoring after school activities.) Yesterday she won the first battle in her lawsuit when Federal Judge Jack B. Weinstein overruled the city's motion to dismiss the case.
In the ruling [pdf], Weinstein writes, "If the [Education Department] wants its teachers to instruct adolescents about HIV using Latinism of the academy, excluding vulgarism of the street, it should tell them so." He also pointed out that judge pointed out that many of the naughty words are in the Oxford English Dictionary, and even expressed admiration for Kramer, writing, "To a senior judge, father and grandfather, educated in the New York City public schools, there appears to be no more daunting undertaking than discussing sex and HIV/AIDS with a class of female and male thirteen- and fourteen-year-old eight grade students." Seriously, Kramer should get a million dollars just for toughing it out for over 25 years.
Tagged
education
hiv
rubber room
sex ed
slang
teacher
teenanagers
vulgarity
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
New York Public Radio CEO steps down after 8 months on job
Chief executive Christy Tanner is resigning after just eight months at the helm. New York Public Radio is the parent organization for WNYC and Gothamist.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Oct 13, 2026 at 9:03 a.m. ET
Early Addition: Can't stop the sticker bombers
Because the one influencer who tried removing them got dragged, here are your early links: Upper West Side woman adopts a lot of dogs, Big Apple Triathlon returned, "NCIS" lands in New York and more.
By
James Ramsay
News
Early Addition: Can't stop the sticker bombers
Because the one influencer who tried removing them got dragged, here are your early links: Upper West Side woman adopts a lot of dogs, Big Apple Triathlon returned, "NCIS" lands in New York and more.
By
James Ramsay
Cyclist dies in wrong-way crash with an ambulance on Staten Island
By
Brittany Kriegstein
With election 3 weeks away, Hochul and Blakeman to square off in lone NY governor debate
By
Jon Campbell
NYC's taxi union teams with Uber, hedge fund demand healthcare after 4 driver deaths
By
Stephen Nessen
and
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .