As New York families prepare
to start the school year
on Sept. 13, a pair of lawmakers
from the north and northwest
Bronx are calling for a
remote learning option to accommodate
students who are
medically unable or ineligible
to be vaccinated against the
COVID-19 pandemic.
New York City Councilman
Eric Dinowitz and New
York State Assemblyman
Jeffrey Dinowitz have sent
a joint letter to city Department
of Education (DOE)
Chancellor Meisha Porter requesting
that a centralized remote
learning option be made
available solely for students
who are either too young to be
vaccinated or have legitimate
medical reasons to not be vaccinated,
such as those who are
undergoing chemotherapy or
who have compromised immune
systems.
The letter calls for a remote
learning option, as opposed
to tasking individual
schools with simultaneously
operating in-person and remote
classrooms. It also specifi
es that remote learning
should not be offered to families
who simply choose to not
vaccinate out of personal or
philosophical objection.
“I absolutely believe that
everyone who is medically
able to be vaccinated should
do so, and I am not interested
in providing alternative options
to those who simply are
choosing not to get the vaccine,”
Jeffrey Dinowitz said.
“But the reality is that many
children are not able to protect
themselves from this
deadly pandemic because
they are too young or have legitimate
medical issues. Our
city has an obligation to provide
a safe public education
to these students too, and I believe
the appropriate solution
here is to offer a centralized
remote learning option. I urge
Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor
Porter to reconsider their
current opposition to a remote
learning option for our
students.”
The DOE has thus far refused
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to offer any option for
these families, despite the
COVID-19 vaccine only being
available for people aged 12
and older. There are multiple
large public school districts
across the United States that
are offering some form of online
learning, including Los
Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia.
New York City is experiencing
a rise in COVID-19 infection
rates, now averaging
more than 2,000 new cases per
day, as the highly infectious
Delta variant has fully taken
hold.
“It is reassuring to know
that the Department of Education
is taking meaningful
steps to facilitate the return
to in-person learning,” Eric
Dinowitz said. “However, students
under 12 and children
that are unable to receive the
vaccine due to medical reasons
are not being fully considered
in this process. There
has been enough time for the
DOE to create a centralized
remote learning option to accommodate
Councilman Eric Dinowitz and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz are calling
on the city to make remote learning an option for city schools this fall.
Photo courtesy Getty Images
these students.
This becomes increasingly
urgent as the rise in Delta
variant cases accelerates.
With all the lessons we’ve
learned from the pandemic,
we know that Mayor de Blasio
and Chancellor Porter can ensure
that no child is left out by
offering a centralized remote
option.”
-Bronx Times
Bronx lawmakers call for
remote learning option