FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM AUGUST 20, 2020 • KIDS & EDUCATION • THE QUEENS COURIER 19
kids & education
Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Offi ce
Despite push back from union, NYC
school reopening plan remains on track
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELLDOMENECH
editorial@qns.com
@qns
New York City’s school reopening plan
is moving ahead despite principal, teacher
and staff unions on Wednesday calling
on Mayor Bill de Blasio to delay in-person
classes.
On Wednesday, principals union
the Council of School Supervisors and
Administrators and the United Teachers
Federation released statements asking the
city to postpone students’ return to school
buildings until the end of next month. Th e
extension would allow for teachers and
city offi cials to better fi gure out to make
in-person classes safer for everyone during
the novel coronavirus pandemic.
But during a tour of Village Academy
in Far Rockaway, hours later Mayor de
Blasio said he was set on launching inperson
classes when the new school year
begins on Sept. 10.
“What is the alternative? Th e alternative
is to deprive our kids of the very best education
available,” de Blasio told reporters
outside of Village Academy. “I haven’t met
an educator who believes that you can do
the same things with remote learning that
you can do in person.”
Both unions argue that there are still
too many unanswered questions about
the logistics of reopening schools for the
city to give the green light next month for
blended learning.
If all goes as planned, 700,000 out of the
city’s 1.1 million public school students
will take classes inside of school buildings
every other day of the week this fall.
Roughly a quarter of families opted for
remote learning classes only.
But both unions, along with parents and
teachers, have expressed concern over a
lack of nurses in schools; poor ventilation
systems; how the city plans to fully equip
teachers and students with suffi cient personal
protective equipment; and a lack
of guidance for teachers of students with
special needs. Just how teachers and students
are meant to keep completely socially
distant when entering school buildings
or in between classrooms is also cause for
major concern.
“While the city’s messaging suggests
that reopening plans have been developed
collaboratively with our union, the city
has failed to address many of our crucial
concerns and ignored repeated appeals
from school leaders to allow enough time
to implement highly complicated protocols,”
CSA President Mark Cannizzaro
said in today’s statement. “Since last
school year ended, our members have
been working tirelessly to reimagine the
upcoming school year and pleading for
more information on the city’s incomplete
reopening plans. Th e slow rollout of guidance
has forced us to once again address
an unfortunate truth: schools will not be
ready to open for in-person instruction
on Sept. 10.”
Roughly an hour aft er the CSA statement
was released, UFT President
Michael Mulgrew issued a statement in
support of the delay.
“Th e UFT has said repeatedly that we
cannot re-open schools unless they are
safe for students and staff . Th e principals
union — whose members will be responsible
for enforcing coronavirus safety protocols
in the schools — now believes that
school buildings will not be ready to open
in September,” Mulgrew said in a statement.
Both unions have worked with the
de Blasio administration to create the current
school reopening plan. But according
to a source familiar with the situation,
City Hall ignored some union requests
during the initial planning process.
“I hear their concern but this ball game
is far from over. We are going to make
these schools safe,” said de Blasio aft er he
and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza
viewed the school’s socially distanced
setup.
Large yellow lines cut run down halls
with markers on either side to direct children
and to ensure that they stay as physically
distant from one another as possible,
according to a pool report by Daily News
reporter Micheal Elsen-Rooney.
In keeping with city guidelines, students
will eat their lunches at their desks. And
classrooms have been equipped with electrostatic
cleaners that spray disinfectant.
In order to improve school ventilation,
classroom windows were opened a few
inches. Village Academy is scheduled to
get central air conditioning before classes
begin to help air circulate in classrooms,
according to Principal Doris Lee.
School administrators have set up 20
desks in one classroom half marked with
yellow placards and the other half with
blue. Only 10 students will be allowed in
the classroom at any given time. “A classroom
this big with only 10 students in it,”
de Blasio said.
“Th e irony is for years and years, everyone
wanted smaller class sizes, this is not
the way we wanted to do it, but it’s striking
how diff erent it will be.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza tour Village Academy in Far Rockaway to observe how the school is preparing for a socially distanced reopening.
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