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Fired NYC Teacher Now Faces 2 Year Suspension

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A New York City teacher who had been fired for ranting about her students on Facebook will instead be suspended for two years without pay.

A Manhattan judge overturned Christine Rubino's termination, deeming the sentence  too harsh.

Justice Barbara Jaffe said that while Rubino's comments were offensive, they were made outside school and circulated only among adult Facebook friends.

The judge found no evidence Rubino meant any harm to students. She sent the matter back to education department arbitrator Randi Lowitt.

The New York Post reported that Lowitt said the suspension was based on her finding that Rubino tried to get a friend to take the fall for the comments.

Rubino, a teacher at P.S. 203 in Brooklyn for 15 years, plans to appeal. She has previously apologized for her comments.

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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