WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES MARCH 12, 2020 21
Addabbo urges city DOE, private schools to
be prepared amid coronavirus outbreak
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
As the coronavirus continues to
spread in New York, state Senator
Joseph Addabbo is ensuring
his constituents that the New York City
school system is prepared to protect
the health of students and faculty in
the event of a larger outbreak.
Addabbo, a member of the Senate
Education Committee, says there are
certain measures that all schools can
take to educate their students on the
virus and how to prevent its spread.
Addabbo, who continues to be briefed
on a local, city, state and federal level,
said the most recent data shows that
the coronavirus can stay on surfaces
such as metal, glass or plastic for as long
as nine days. Coupled with an incubation
period of up to 14 days, teachers
and students alike must be consistent
with protective hygienic measures and
habits.
“I want to urge the NYC Department
of Education and our private school
system to take precautions against the
spreading of the coronavirus,” Addabbo
said. “If a student or teacher is feeling ill,
they should not come to school and risk
infecting others. Instead, they should
go to their doctor for a proper diagnosis
and return to school only when feeling
back to normal. It is our responsibility
to take this health crisis seriously
and do all that we can to prevent its
spread.”
Addabbo added that the main thing
teachers should do is discuss the importance
of students washing their hands
with soap and water and to cover their
coughs and sneezes in their elbow or
into a tissue, as this is the best way to
prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Teachers should also be disinfecting
all devices and equipment used by
students, especially shared equipment
such as calculators, musical instruments,
whiteboards, markers, gym
equipment, mats and other surfaces
aft er every period, Addabbo said.
Additionally, schools themselves
should consider obtaining hand sanitizing
dispensers and refi lls for multiple
common areas including the main offi
ce, cafeteria, library, bathrooms and
hallways to protect students and staff ,
as well as surgical masks for potential
use by the kitchen and serving staff
and for use by students if need be in
the future, the senator added.
In order to combat the outbreak, the
city Department of Education is hiring
an additional 85 school nurses to
ensure every district school building
has a full-time nurse by the end of the
week; all international school trips
have been canceled for the remainder
of the school year; and DOE has also
sent a survey to nonpublic schools to
help identify shortages of paper towels,
soap, hand sanitizers and medical supplies,
and will distribute materials to
any school experiencing shortages.
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
This is the week for all Queens
residents to stand up and be counted
as the 2020 Census kicks off Thursday,
March 12.
Acting Queens Borough President
Sharon Lee helped cut the ribbon
on the 2020 Census Resource Assistance
Center at Borough Hall, which
is currently operating on Tuesdays
and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
through July 31.
“It’s all hands on deck for the 2020
Census,” Lee said. “We must ensure
that every single Queens resident,
of every age and regardless of documentation
status, is counted. When
we are not counted, we are rendered
invisible and irrelevant for our fair
share of federal representation and
funding. “
To prevent a repeat of the substantial
undercounts in various Queens
neighborhoods during the 2010 Census,
which dubiously reported the
borough’s population rose by only
1,300 people over the prior decade,
then-Borough President Melinda
Katz fi rst hosted a Census Town Hall
in November 2018 to propel public
discourse and engagement for this
moment.
“An undercount is something the
Borough of Families simply cannot
aff ord,” Lee said. “The future of our
country, city and state depend on a full
and accurate 2020 Census count.”
For more information visit Borough
Hall’s website here.
There are no questions related to immigration
or citizenship on the 2020
Census. It consists of just 10 questions,
and none of them ask about employment
status or housing situation.
Queens residents living with
friends, family members, roommates,
other families, or even in unlawful
housing units, can and should participate
in the 2020 Census. All responses
to the census and any personal information
held by the Census Bureau are
protected by Title XIII of the United
States code, which makes the sharing
of any personal information by
a Census Bureau employee a serious
crime, punishable by up to fi ve years
imprisonment and a $250,000 fi ne.
This year, Queens residents will be
able to complete the census form online
in 12 languages in addition to English,
and each of these languages will
also have its own dedicated, unique
phone number that speakers of these
languages can call to receive direct assistance.
In addition, the U.S. Census
Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee (second from r.) opens a
census resource center at Borough Hall to aid all Queens residents in
being counted. Courtesy of Borough Hall
Bureau has published “explainer”
guides in a total of 59 languages.
Meanwhile, the city Department of
Sanitation, in collaboration with NYC
Census 2020 and F.Y. Eye, launched
a new campaign Tuesday starring
Oscar the Grouch of “Sesame Street”
fame. Oscar encourages residents to
“make your family count, even the
grouches!”
The campaign will feature posters
on the sides of more than 2,500 Sanitation
trucks and mechanical brooms
that provide services to every New
York City neighborhood.
“Encouraging all New Yorkers to
participate in the 2020 Census is
an all-hands-on-deck eff ort,” DSNY
Commissioner Kathryn Garcia said.
“Our sanitation trucks are some of the
most recognizable parts of the NYC
streetscape, and we are very proud
to put them to work in support of this
important cause.”
NYC Census 2020 Director Julie
Menin said that children under fi ve
are one of the populations most at risk
of an undercount in the 2020 Census.
“We need to make sure that doesn’t
happen again, because the more of
us who fi ll out the census, the more
money we get for NYC schools, roads,
bridges, hospitals, housing, and more,”
Menin said.
State Senator Joseph Addabbo wants students and their teachers to be
prepared for coronavirus in the event of a larger breakout.
Courtesy of Addabbo’s offi ce
2020 Census begins March 12
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