4 THE QUEENS COURIER • DECEMBER 30, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
South Queens Women’s March calls on DOE to protect
teachers and students amid spike in COVID-19 cases
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
South Queens Women’s March
(SQWM) is calling on the city
Department of Education (DOE) to act
swift ly to protect the lives of its teachers,
staff and students, as New York City has
seen a record number of new COVID-
19 cases.
“Countless community members we
know are teachers at NYC DOE schools,
including many of our own SQWM
members,” SQWM said in a statement.
“Classroom spaces have not gotten larger.
Class sizes have not gotten smaller.
Vaccination rates among younger
children are still lagging. Yet, DOE
schools remain open.”
SQWM wants the DOE to
ensure that all on-site testing
sites at schools have an ample
supply of tests each day, provide
remote options for
learning to reduce COVIDrisk
among staff and students,
and require testing and social
distancing of six feet between
all students and staff .
DOE teachers are
requested, but not
required, to get tested
on a weekly basis.
For those who choose to get
tested, COVID-19 testing remains inaccessible,
with teachers having to travel
distances, wait in long lines and having to
fi nd time to get tested outside of working
hours, SQWM said.
According to SQWM, testing kits on
site at schools run out each day, forcing
staff who want to get tested to fi nd an
alternative means of doing so.
“Th e DOE continues to exploit the
unpaid labor of teachers. Folks are
spending hours in lines to avoid exposing
our students and co-workers to COVID
when the responsibility should be on
the DOE to provide regular testing,” a
DOE public school teacher and SQWM
member said.
Another SQWM member and teacher
said they’re terrifi ed to go to work
every day.
“At least two to three more staff members
and many students are testing positive
or not coming to school each day
because they don’t feel safe. I’m having
fl ashbacks of March 2020. It breaks my
heart that we have to go to the building
every day when we have a mechanism
in place for remote learning,” the
teacher said.
As COVID cases surge in New York
City and questions are arising about the
shutdown of businesses and schools,
Mayor Bill de Blasio said there will not
be another repeat of March 2020 and that
getting vaccinated in the fi ght against the
coronavirus is the key.
In regards to parents’ concerns about
the safety of their children in schools, de
Blasio reiterated that schools are one of
the safest places to be in the city.
“We need to keep our kids in school.
It is the safest place for them to be. Th ey
also need to be in school aft er all of the
disruption. So, no, the key here is to vaccinate.
Th at’s an area where this city
Photo by Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Offi ce
needs to do better,” de Blasio said on “Th e
Brian Lehrer Show” on Dec. 17.
According to the mayor, almost 82% of
12- to 17-year-olds and only 20% of 5- to
11-year-olds are vaccinated.
“Parents have got to really focus here
on the health and safety of not just their
child and family, but the whole community,
and get their kids vaccinated quickly,”
de Blasio said.
When asked about principals who are
reporting staffi ng shortages at schools
due to educators that either have COVID,
the fl u or the cold, de Blasio said they
have “a lot of substitute teachers” who are
vaccinated.
Th e mayor added that he feels confi -
dent in their ability to support schools
and students.
“It breaks my heart that we have to go to the
building every day when we have a mechanism
in place for remote learning.”
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