School tsar to conduct ‘unannounced’
safety inspections ahead of reopening
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELLDOMENECH
As principals and teachers
grapple with unclear school reopening
guidance, their buildings
will now be subject to
surprise safety inspections to
ensure that “everything is in
place” for the start of classes
on Sept. 10, Mayor Bill de Blasio
announced on Aug. 17.
The unannounced spot
checks will begin this month
and be conducted by offi cials
from the Department of Education,
including the top offi -
cial, Schools Chancellor Richard
Carranza. Department
reps will continue to monitor
schools throughout the remainder
of the school year, the
mayor added.
The check-ins are meant
to provide a sense of ease to
worried parents sending their
children back to school during
the ongoing novel coronavirus
pandemic. But some principals
say that unless the DOE gives
clearer guidance to teachers
and school administrators
on health and safety requirements
COURIER L 18 IFE, AUGUST 21-27, 2020
and equip schools with
adequate cleaning resources
before next month, check-ins
could be more of a hindrance
than a help.
“If I don’t even know what
am I supposed to do what is it
that I’m being held accountable
for?” said Principal of
Fort Greene Prep Academy
Paula Lettiere. Last week, Lettiere
along with dozens of other
Brooklyn principals released
their own version of a school
reopening plan which calls for
a phased-in approach.
The plan also calls on the
DOE to equip schools with replacement
staff for nurses,
teachers or guidance counselors
working remotely, release
detailed reports on when and
what kinds of personal protective
equipment and cleaning
supplies schools will receive,
detailed information on every
school’s ventilation system, a
plan for using outdoor space for
classes and suffi cient planning
times for building leaders.
“We are opening these
buildings for children so either
they are ready or they are
not.”
During de Blasio’s Monday
press conference, the mayor
announced that the city would
distribute suffi cient cleaning
supplies and personal protective
equipment to schools before
the school year begins
on Sept. 10. According to Carranza,
shipments of 4 million
face masks, 3.5 million bottles
of hand sanitizer and 80,000
canisters of disinfectant wipes
have already begun and will
be replenished throughout the
school year.
In a brief video that de
Blasio played, the city indicated
that over 7,350 maintenance
staff will disinfect
school buildings after classes
end each day and clean “hightouch”
zones multiple times a
day, 3,750 electrostatic sprayers
will also work to disinfect
buildings and 210,000 signs
and fl oor markers will be
placed in schools to remind
students to keep socially distant
from one another.
“The message of that video
is that whatever our schools
need they are going to have,”
said de Blasio. “This is about
being ready, it’s about moving
past fear to resiliency.”
The city is also creating
a new hotline schedule to be
up and running this week for
principals to use to request additional
personal protective
equipment or cleaning supplies.
Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza speaks at a news conference at the
Offi ce of Emergency Management about the Coronavirus, March 2, 2020.
Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
The latest on NYC colleges during COVID
BY JOE PANTORNO
The fi rst day of school for colleges
across New York City might be less
than a month away, but that doesn’t
mean it’s too late to register for classes
— even during these unpredictable
times despite COVID-19 numbers continuing
to improve city-wide.
Some local colleges in the area
are ramping up for another year even
though the unpredictability of the coronavirus
still very much looms.
For students attending those
schools, there will be classes this semester
even if you’re uneasy about getting
back into the classroom. Here is
some of the latest information on three
notable schools around the area.
Kingsborough Community
College
The Brooklyn school is already telling
its students to stay away from campus.
“College offi cials are asking students
to not come to the campus,” the
school said. “We must reduce the density
of people on campus & do our part
to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus
(COVID-19).”
Distanced learning, however, is still
a go and registration for the Fall 2020
semester is currently open and will
remain so until Sept. 4 even though
plenty of question marks remain.
“A decision about the fall classes
mode of instruction has not been made
pending the evolution of the COVID-19
emergency,” they said. “We will continue
to keep the students updated
when a decision has been made.”
Nyack College
Registration for Fall 2020 began
on Aug. 10 and will remain open until
Sept. 4 — giving prospective students
four weeks to register. Classes are
scheduled to begin on Sept. 9.
“After spending the past several
weeks on extensive collaborative
research and outreach, we have
planned an approach for delivering
courses to all of our student body
and opening our new undergraduate
residence hall,” the school wrote.
“These stages allow us to limit campus
density, specifi cally classroom
occupancy, and allow us to adapt and
respond to any changes in the circumstances
related to COVID-19. All
courses for fall 2020 will be available
through one of the online formats, including
It’s not too late to sign up for classes at New York City-area colleges for the fall. Many of
them are offering remote learning. Getty Images
live streaming of in-person
classes.”
Should New York City continue to
improve, Nyack will allow residential
students to move in via staggered appointments
beginning on Oct. 3.
Touro College
Those attending Touro College
have ample time to get their schedule
together — which was important
given the unpredictable nature of the
COVID-19 outbreak. Registration for
Fall 2020 began all the way back on
June 8 and will remain open until Sept.
8. Classes start that very same week.
“We plan to open on-time in accordance
with the published academic calendar
that contains various start-dates
for our varied programs and schools,”
the school wrote. “While it is our intention
to offer classes and certain labs in
person, this will be accomplished using
methods to reduce building and classroom
density in accordance with government
recommendations.”
BACK TO SCHOOL