Firing a New York City school teacher who had an unblemished work record for 18 years before he was assigned a class of special education students is a punishment “manifestly disproportionate” to his classroom failures, a divided appeals panel ruled.

The Appellate Division, First Department judges decided 3-2 that teacher Anthony Russo should be reinstated and a lesser penalty be imposed for his performance during the three school years he had the 12 students at PS/IS 377 in Brooklyn.