No, Not Yet. We aren’t ready to open NYC schools.
As the virus wreaks havoc across the United States, New York City is in a very particular place. We were once the world epicenter of the virus, but now (August 4) our infection rate (% of positive results over time) is 1.0% (1). It is remarkable — but life has still not returned to normal. Now the debate rages: should NYC open up school buildings? A nurse says we should (2). The Chicago Teachers Union said no for their city (3). What is going to happen in New York City? Our infection rate indicates that we may be ready, but there are many more factors at play.
A Lack of Trust
First of all, even though our infection rate hovers around 1% of tests, yesterday we still had 301 people test positive in New York City alone. On March 15, the day Governor Cuomo closed our schools, we had 170 people test positive. There was already rampant community spread at that point with many more untested cases, but the virus is not gone yet. We have a much better understanding of the symptoms and transmission of Covid-19 than we did in March — but there are still many questions. From the flip-flopping of the CDC on the need for mask-wearing (4)to the WHO policy about Covid-19 being transmitted primarily through droplets, but also airborne (5), we are constantly receiving mixed messages about this virus. The CDC has also revised the guidelines, lowering the isolation guidelines from 14 days to 10 days. This new recommendation occurred two weeks after President Trump announced the CDC would issue new guidelines to allow in-person schools to open across the nation. The WHO also recommends a 10-day isolation period, but only for people who are asymptomatic (6). The lack of consistent messaging has caused a great deal of mistrust, as has the blatant politicization of mask-wearing by President Trump (7).
The mistrust is exacerbated in school buildings that have watched the recent feuds between Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio and UFT President Michael Mulgrew. In March, before school buildings closed, we were told that anyone who tested positive for Covid-19 would not have any sick days taken out of their banks for the 14-day quarantine. At the same time, many people exhibiting symptoms of Covid-19 were unable to be tested, as they had to have traveled to a country with a current outbreak. The NYCDOE promised that schools would be shut for 24 hours for “deep cleaning” if a case was reported at a school. On March 12, the DOE refused to close down a school where a parent (who had been present in the school building) had tested positive for Covid-19 (8). Before school buildings were shut down on March 15, we were told that since the virus was now common, no one would be notified if a case was found at their school buildings. We should “assume community spread”. This lack of follow through to their own policy devastated teacher trust in the DOE. This was further exacerbated as the reports of teacher deaths came in following the in-person PD sessions that staff attended the week after students stayed home (9). The DOE stopped informing families if cases were found in their school buildings, even as the caseload in New York City rose. We do not trust them to be upfront going forward after they broke their word so egregiously in March.
Educators’ mistrust of the Department of Education has been growing since Bloomberg’s time in office. Governor Cuomo has long been an advocate of charter schools which siphon off money from the public schools, while reserving the right to only educate students who fit their molds (10). He has been decreasing education budgets for years and continues to do so, refusing to raise taxes on New York’s billionaires while delivering a 25% budget decrease to NYC public schools (11). He also cut Medicaid budgets to hospitals while Covid-19 ravaged New York State (12). We know that Governor Cuomo will not provide the funds necessary to reopen our schools safely — Senator Chuck Schumer has said he does not know how it will be possible without the federal stimulus bill (12.1).
Teachers have become even more wary of the Department of Education after remote learning began in March. The DOE told the public that they were providing detailed plans for instruction, yet when we opened the banks of teaching materials we found they relied on texts we did not have access to or were totally blank. They announced a new platform about summer school, but over ⅓ of students did not report the first week (13) . The city also announced that every student would have live instruction during summer school, but that has not happened (14). Promise after promise has been broken, by both the city and the state.
Systemic Neglect
As teachers, we are used to being undervalued. People love us in September, or when things at home are challenging. The minute parents are challenged by a math problem that requires thinking, we are scapegoated. We have taken on school defunding for decades, increased standards, new models of teaching, decreased budgets and increased job responsibilities. We think about how we will jump in front of a bullet if there is an active shooter in our building. In March, all of the families at home were amazed by teachers’ abilities to wrangle multiple kids to learn — and by May everyone was blaming us for poor experiences with remote learning in the middle of a national crisis.
In New York City, our schools are perpetually underfunded. Just as our population is incredibly diverse racially and socio-economically, our schools are as well. In 2018–19 schools reported significantly different amounts of money raised by PTA programs. While the median white student attended schools that raised an average of $65 per student, the median Black student attended schools that raised an average of $4 per student (15). African-American communities have been particularly hard-hit by Covid-19, with more than 2.5 times the death rate as white Americans (16). Many of the same neighborhoods that battled with Covid-19 also have underfunded schools (17).
Some of our school buildings are sparkly and new, but most of our buildings are old, many built before World War II. They are crowded, small, and often, un-airconditioned (18). The DOE is working to remove lead paint from classrooms of children less than 6 years old (19), and have been evasive about lead in school water fountains (20). The classrooms do not all have sinks, and often students have to walk up or down a flight of stairs to find a restroom. Our schools are built up because there is not space to spread out — so students must climb 3, 4 or more flights of stairs to get to their classrooms. Our classrooms are tiny, as everything in New York is tiny compared to other places in the United States.
Our school funding means that the supplies given to teachers and students are vastly different depending on the building. Some schools require teachers to provide their own paper for photocopying. Some schools provide unlimited pencils for students. Students provide tissue paper, paper towels and hand-sanitizer because the school budgets do not provide for those materials in the class. Once the student donations run out (perhaps as early as October), there are no more to be had unless a teacher brings them in. We find clothes for students who do not have appropriate clothes. One school even installed a washing machine for their students to use (21). We do not all have updated curricula — some schools are using old versions of curricula, some schools buy a few copies of teachers guides to share, and some schools allow teachers to write their own curricula. Some schools have 1:1 technology for each student, while others have 11-year-old laptops for their staff and an equally old cart for their students to share. The shift during the Bloomberg administration from community schools to selected schools has meant that wealthier parents can work the system to find a more affluent school, removing their students from the poorer local schools. Inequities abound.
Our schools are overcrowded, as well. The DOE estimated in 2016 that we needed 83,000 additional seats in our school buildings (21.1). Our class sizes max out at 32 students at the elementary level, and many classes are pushing that. A few years after the last economic crisis, over half of our schools exceeded that limit (22), and our classrooms are physically smaller than elsewhere in the country. All schools are understaffed with guidance counselors, social workers and school nurses, as well.
Teachers have seen all of this systematic neglect, and have taken it in stride. We buy school supplies for the students who do not have it. We supplement our yearly Teachers Choice allotment (around $200 per teacher in good years, nonexistent in times of financial strain) with our own funds as we buy laminators, books, markers, and other supplies for our classes. We provide our students with snacks, food, feminine products, and sometimes even clothing and diapers. We do this because the system does not. We do this because we are shamed by people saying “You have a calling. You do it because you love the kids.” Yes, many of us do love our students. Teaching, especially at the elementary level, is dominated by women. The system takes advantage of this. I remember once a male first-year teacher asked where he could get a battery when the battery on his guided reading calculator ran out. We all were shocked that he would ask — because didn’t he know nothing is ever replaced? We are used to filling in the gaps — it’s an unwritten line on any job description, and on each of our resumes. Buying pencils is one thing, but supplying PPE is something totally different.
Lack of Transparency
Another reason teachers are so concerned with the opening of NYC schools is the fact that we have no idea what reopening looks like. Governor Cuomo asked school districts to submit their plans to the state. When de Blasio released the NYC plan, it left the vast majority of decisions to the individual schools. Principals and school staff are not epidemiologists. They are not the ones who should be making decisions that are vital to public health. If it is left to schools individually, it will result in a range of safety comparable to the PTA budgets in the city. Some schools will have tremendous plans that address all of the issues, but many others will not. Even if I trust my principal to make the best decisions for our school community, it does not mean that every principal will be able to do the same. In order for us to keep the community spread in New York City hovering around 1%, we need to make sure we all are on the same page.
As a parent, I have many questions and concerns about the way my children will be educated. We have the opportunity to opt into remote learning by August 7 — but we have not been told what remote learning will look like if we do. Will our children be taught by teachers from their current school, or by someone else? Will they follow the same curriculum as the students attending in the hybrid model, or will they have a different experience? Will the teachers from Central be teaching? What platform will they use, and what will the work look like? Before I can make a decision, I’d like the answers to these questions.
As a teacher, I have many more questions — and also more information. Have parents been informed that, should they opt for hybrid instruction, their children will be sitting in one spot for the entire time they are in attendance, and eating lunch while working? What does that look like, to have students eating in one spot? Will students have a chance to talk a question out with a partner? How many students can fit in my classroom? What about the interior classrooms without windows or HVAC systems? How are we to teach students if they are not allowed to work in groups or be near enough to each other to share materials? We share everything in schools — even germs. If I do not have a sink in my classroom, and I am not allowed to leave my class alone, how am I to wash my hands?
Some more of the questions are very directly about my contract: the DOE (not my union) has said that teachers will have 30 minutes to prepare for direct and remote instruction in the beginning of their day, and that we will end with 30 minutes (which we can use at home or in school) to plan. Does that mean I am to teach the same group of students remotely and in person daily? How does that work? Remote and in-person work are totally different entities, and require totally different planning. How am I to do that? With what materials? Should I use the 11-year-old laptop to teach, even though I haven’t been able to download the newest OS for 3 years? I don’t think Zoom and Screencastify can run with the OS I need to use.
If I am not to teach both remotely and in-person at the same time, as the UFT has stated (seeing as there are very inconsistent messages coming from my union and my supervising agency), how am I to plan remote lessons that tie in with my in-class teaching? If I plan them, then what is the remote teacher’s duty? Working with a co-teacher is demanding, and requires trust and communication. It is hard to establish that if we are thrown into this immediately prior to working together.
Most importantly, at least in terms of preventing mass spread of the virus, how are we to monitor illness? Teachers receive 10 sick days each year, one per month. Covid-19 tests are taking anywhere from 5–17 days to receive. Should I think I am exposed, I certainly should remain at home. Who teaches my in-person class? Will I be deducted sick days? Will I go off payroll? If time off is not guaranteed to be completely unpunished, people will continue coming to work even if they could have been exposed. If you take a test, do not have the results, and you see that bank of sick days dwindling, how long will it take before you return to work? If, the first time I may be exposed, the negative test takes 14 days to return, I have already used up my year of sick days — as the days only count if you test positive for Covid-19. What happens the second time I may be exposed? The third? How many days will it take before you would return to work? Eventually you will go off payroll. The same thing goes for students and their families.
How to Reopen
Public schools are vital for our communities, and we all want a safe return as soon as possible. Under the current conditions, though, we will follow the same path we had in March if schools reopen. Social distancing has been traumatic for our children and families — and so has the Covid-19 epidemic. We were sitting in our houses listening to the sirens in March. We don’t want to go through that again. Here is what would make me feel safe to go back to school:
- A mandatory, enforceable quarantine for all staff, students and parents who traveled to high-risk states. We all know that there was a mass exodus of New Yorkers looking for space — those New Yorkers spurred on the infections nationwide. If schools reopen, many people from hotspots will return to NY, and we need to know they are safe. They should isolate for 14 days before being allowed in any school building.
- Random, mandated, quick free testing of all staff and students in all school buildings with a turn-around of 24–48 hours. We need to be able to keep track of who is infected in our buildings. It cannot be, as Mulgrew proposed in a petition, “mandated voluntary testing”, rather anyone should be able to be tested at any point. Results should be available within two days to limit the spread of the virus. Positive case numbers should be made public immediately, and the appropriate actions taken (i.e., school closures) without delay.
- Thorough tracing, with school closures immediate if positive cases are found.
- Citywide, paid sick days granted when a Covid-19 test is taken until results are delivered. If parents, students and staff are not given paid sick days, they will not be able to isolate. We need to make sure people have the resources to stay home and stay safe. If it’s a choice of staying employed or staying home to prevent virus spread, the temptation to go back to work is too high.
- Appropriate PPE for all students and staff. We need to provide clean facemasks for everyone coming into the school buildings. Teachers should be provided with face shields as well, as requested. Soap, hot water and paper towels should be provided at all sinks. Hand sanitizer dispensers should be in each classroom.
- Increased budgets for school facilities. We can no longer survive on skeleton budgets that leave lead in our school pipes, leave our children suffering in 100 degree heat, and breathing in dirty air. We need appropriate ventilation in all buildings, along with increased custodial staff necessary for deep cleanings.
- Increased budgets for smaller class sizes and technology. 32 students in a NYC classroom is too many. We need more teachers, guidance counselors and social workers to deal with the trauma of March. Students should be able to borrow appropriate technology from home — tablets for younger students and Chromebooks or laptops for older students. We need the same technology for each child in school so that we can integrate it into our in-person lessons. Teachers also need updated tech — an 11 year old laptop doesn’t cut it. Some teachers are working off their phone hotspots, as are students.
- Cancel state testing. Given all of the uncertainties, it is going to be close to impossible for students to meet the same standards as usual. It is not a matter of being “behind” — the entire world is facing this together. Cancel the state tests and provide teachers enough time and resources to thoughtfully plan for the most urgent topics. Even (or especially) if we are working remotely, we need time to become proficient in the platforms that would be best.
- Planning time. We have spent the last 20 years (at least) finding ways to encourage student discourse, decenter teachers in the classroom, and promote collaboration. We need time to thoughtfully find ways to continue this work with our students while social distancing.
- Suspend rent / cancel evictions for the duration of the pandemic until everyone can get out safely. No student can learn if they are worried about where they will sleep next month.
- Address the inequities in our schools. Make sure all schools receive the necessary funding, not just the ones whose parent population can afford it. Support all schools and all students.
Once these conditions can be met, then we will be able to safely reopen the schools. Until then, we need to actively work to prevent a return to the horrors of March, where we heard the sirens and watched the demise of our city. We have since proven that New York City has the strength to lead the nation — let’s keep leading by making choices that will protect our neighbors.
Sources:
(1) https://forward.ny.gov/percentage-positive-results-region-dashboard
(4) https://www.businessinsider.com/americans-dont-need-masks-pence-says-as-demand-increases-2020-2
(5) https://time.com/5865080/who-airborne-transmission-covid-19
(7) https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/01/masks-politics-coronavirus-227765
(13) https://ny.chalkbeat.org/2020/7/9/21319447/ilearn-nyc-summer-school-attendance
(16) https://covidtracking.com/race
(17) https://abcnews.go.com/Health/nyc-stark-contrast-covid-19-infection-rates-based/story?id=69920706
(19) https://www.schools.nyc.gov/about-us/reports/lead-based-paint
(20) https://nypost.com/2018/09/08/doe-officials-evasive-about-lead-tainted-fountains-in-schools/
(22) https://www.huffpost.com/entry/new-york-class-size-uft_n_1914357
