24 THE QUEENS COURIER • KIDS & EDUCATION • SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Jackson Heights parents, educators
march to demand schools reopen safely
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
aacevedo@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
More than 50 parents and teachers
marched in Jackson Heights to demand
a safe school reopening on Wednesday,
Sept. 16.
Th e group gathered outside of Jackson
Heights’ P.S. 222 at 86-15 37 Ave. at 3 p.m.
and marched toward P.S. 280 at 34-20
94th St.
Th e demonstration is one of several
that have taken place in Jackson Heights
— one of the neighborhoods hardest hit
by the COVID-19 pandemic — in the last
week amid what was the looming reopening
24 THE QUEENS COURIER • SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM kids & education
of some public schools in an in-person
and remote learning format on Sept.
21.
Th roughout the march, organized by
teachers union More UFT, they chanted
“Not until it’s safe” and “Hey, de Blasio,
we are not fools. We will not let you ruin
our schools!”
Th e protesters joined a chorus of educators
and parents who have said Mayor
Bill de Blasio and the Department of
Education’s (DOE) plan won’t allow for a
safe return to in-person classes.
As of Tuesday of last week, the DOE
announced 10 staff members at Queens
schools have tested positive for COVID-
19 aft er returning to school buildings to
prep for the start of the school year.
I.S. 230 at 73-10 34th Ave. in Jackson
Heights had a staff member test positive
last week.
At the march, parents and teachers
demanded more safety procedures,
requirements for COVID-19 testing
and tracing, appropriate ventilation and
cleanliness.
Th at same morn- ing, educators
and parents gathered outside of P.S.
149 at 93-11 34th Ave. to also call for a
better plan to keep teachers as well as the
families they serve safe while returning to
in-person schooling.
“We showed up to support our teachers
at our former elementary school,” said
Andrew Sokolof-Diaz, co-founder of 89th
Street Tenants Unidos and parent. “It’s
absolutely necessary for the well-being
of students to return physically to school
but only in safe, adequate conditions
for the faculty and students.
Th e city
is rushing
this plan
and there
are concerns
around proper ventilation, classroom
space and the roll-out of this blended
model itself.”
Sokolof-Diaz has also called for 34th
Avenue’s popular Open Streets to be used
for outdoor learning and recreation when
plans are better suited for a safe return.
Th e DOE has not yet provided a full list
of Queens schools that were approved for
outdoor learning.
De Blasio fi rst pushed back the start
of in-person classes from
Sept. 10 to Sept. 21, and
announced on Sept. 17
that the start date will
again be delayed.
The city rolled out
a phased-in approach
for students who opted to
return to hybrid in-person
classes.
Photo by Dean Moses
Only students in pre-K, 3-K and District
75 schools (which serves the city’s disabled
students), returned to buildings on
Sept. 21. Students in K-5 and K-8 grade
schools will now return to buildings on
Tuesday, Sept. 29. Middle school, high
school, secondary, transfer and adult education
students will go back to their physical
classrooms on Oct. 1.
Educators and parents say they were not
aware of the change until de Blasio’s daily
news briefi ng last Th ursday morning.
In an email obtained by QNS, UFT
President Michael Mulgrew wrote to
teachers aft er Th ursday morning’s press
conference that the mayor fi nally agreed
the city “needs more time to address the
staffi ng and safety issues exposed by UFT
chapter leaders and members across the
city.”
“We made a promise to each other and
to public school parents that we would
do everything in our power to keep our
school communities safe and fi ght for
what’s best for our students, and we are
honoring that promise today,” Mulgrew
wrote. “Th anks to your advocacy, we now
will have a responsible, phased-in reopening
for schools.”
More UFT addressed the change in a
Facebook post, stating it’s “too little, too
late.”
“Th e mayor has once again let down
the city,” the post read. “Parents are left to
scramble to fi nd childcare. Teachers have
to change plans yet again. Students have
to process the delay and handle the stress
of a moving target. Th is is not okay.”
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