Mayor de Blasio has wavered about when and how to open the schools since the pandemic began. Now he has drawn a line in the sand and threatens to close all the city’s schools if the city reaches a certain level of infections. Some schools are in danger zones. Others are not. Some parents—and the New York Daily News editorial board—think the mayor should recognize that some schools are safe and allow them to remain open.

Categories Accountability, Bill de Blasio, Health, New York City

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NYC public school parent says:

November 18, 2020 at 1:43 pm

And what does the teachers’ union think about having the Mayor decide which schools stay open and which close? Or if not the Mayor, who makes that decision?

And do they need to get approval from the union first?

Isn’t NYC still one of the only big urban school systems to try to incorporate some in person education? Other urban districts just seem to keep postponing even opening at all.

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Stef's Reflections on Teaching says:

November 18, 2020 at 1:58 pm

And in MN the Governor is getting push back from not closing all of the schools instead of allowing districts to decide. . . you can’t win in this situation. Why would time be spent criticizing the mayor for this instead of actual education policy.
We are in a crisis and I support anyone who wants to close schools until get through this horrible pandemic.

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FLERP! says:

November 18, 2020 at 2:06 pm

De Blasio is now four hours late for his 10 am press conference, at which he is expected to announce whether NYC schools will close. Meanwhile, Cuomo is giving one of the most unhinged press conferences I’ve ever seen, is shedding no light on anything, and is berating reporters asking for clarification. Really weird stuff.

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- retired teacher says:
  
  November 18, 2020 at 2:21 pm
  
  Cuomo is another egomaniac. The 3% closing rate of positivity rate was what was negotiated with the union.
  
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  - Yvonne says:
    
    November 18, 2020 at 3:11 pm
    
    Perfect. America is a huge mess. Just what Putin wants.
    
    But really, I do think most of America is fed up.
    
    My worry:
    I am wondering how many and how much military secrets has been passed on to Vladimir Putin by trump.
Yvonne says:

November 18, 2020 at 2:10 pm

Ridiculous!

This is what New Zealand did. But then, Jacinda Ardern is smart and caring. She’s a leader.

The lockdown implemented in New Zealand was remarkable for its stringency and its brevity:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(20)30237-1/fulltext

In the meanwhile, America flounders. Are we that weak and selfish? Is this what America has become with that dump as potus?

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- retired teacher says:
  
  November 18, 2020 at 2:29 pm
  
  The ‘NYT’ has an article on how Nova Scotia is also doing a great job of protecting the island from Covid. It is a lot easier to protect an island than a sprawling nation of over 300 million people. It would certainly help if we had a coherent policy from the top.
  
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Yvonne says:

November 18, 2020 at 2:13 pm

American Voices: A Nation in Turmoil:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/american-voices/

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FLERP! says:

November 18, 2020 at 2:27 pm

Update, the city’s shutting down the schools tomorrow.

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NYC public school parent says:

November 18, 2020 at 2:51 pm

The problem isn’t coming from schools, but that does not mean that leaving schools open is a good thing to do when cases are starting to multiply.

“In a recent interview, Michael Mulgrew, the union’s president, said he thought the 3 percent threshold was sound. He cited warnings from experts that even if there was low transmission in schools, infection could still spread from the broader community into schools, increasing the likelihood that students and staff members might carry the virus into their homes and neighborhoods.

Mr. Mulgrew said he was dismayed that schools were closing so soon, and asserted that expressions of frustration about a shutdown from some New Yorkers seemed hypocritical.

“We had a lot of criticism from people when we were opening schools,” he said. “They didn’t want them open. A lot of that came from the very same people who are yelling now that they want them open.”

(NYT)

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- Yvonne says:
  
  November 18, 2020 at 3:06 pm
  
  This spoke volumes:
  
  “We had a lot of criticism from people when we were opening schools,” he said. “They didn’t want them open. A lot of that came from the very same people who are yelling now that they want them open.”
  
  Wow.
  
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  - Professor Fate says:
    
    November 18, 2020 at 3:17 pm
    
    It’s New York. Everybody knows everything and can’t wait to tell you that. The Mayor also got flack for not closing them quickly enough back in the spring.
Yvonne says:

November 18, 2020 at 3:03 pm

Potential lessons from the Taiwan and New Zealand health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanwpc/article/PIIS2666-6065(20)30044-4/fulltext

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LeftCoastTeacher says:

November 18, 2020 at 3:39 pm

Some schools are safe? I didn’t know there weren’t any students attending any schools outside of their immediate neighborhoods in NYC. I thought there were charters and magnets and such.

Schools are not bubbles. There are children, teachers, trucks carrying food, PPE, etc, across the city. So if there is an outbreak in one neighborhood, every school in the city is unsafe.

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- NYC public school parent says:
  
  November 18, 2020 at 3:50 pm
  
  Yes, I can’t imagine the pushback if de Blasio tried to designate some schools as safe to open and others as not safe.
  
  The parents in the schools designated as “unsafe” would be shouting that it wasn’t fair.
  
  If someone can imagine a way to do this feasibly, I’d sure like to know!
  
  On the other hand, I do think that there might be a consideration of closing all middle and high schools and leaving elementary schools open. Not ideal, but at least it would be “fair” and the students who probably need to be in-person the most — the youngest students – would have that option.
  
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  - kk, parent says:
    
    November 18, 2020 at 6:53 pm
    
    YES! It is really upsetting that people would buy into this bubble idea. My kids have never walked to school. They have always taken the bus or the subway. Also, this is the perfect way to WIDEN the gulf btw those who have and those who don’t. Affluent neighborhoods tend to have lower #s, so their schools would stay open while others would close. That is terribly inequitable and not OK.
  - FLERP! says:
    
    November 18, 2020 at 7:22 pm
    
    Leaving aside the “bubble” idea, if one school was capable of operating safely and another was not, you would close both schools if closing only the “unsafe” school would be inequitable?
  - LeftCoastTeacher says:
    
    November 18, 2020 at 9:45 pm
    
    I am glad you asked. Covid is disproportionately affecting less affluent communities. It is neither equitable nor safe to open some schools while the Health Equity Quartile remains problematic. We do not hear about Health Equity Quartiles in the money-based, corporate owned media. We need to look at the Health Equity Quartile, infection rate, daily new cases, test positivity, tracing and testing capacity and efficacy, and level of viral spread.
    
    If, for example, the viral spread is high in the Health Equity Quartile, the entire city is at risk. If you’re a parent with three children, and your three children attend three different schools, all three schools are connected. That means that all schools are connected.
    
    Seriously, don’t trust your gut on this one. Let the scientists do their thing. And keep. Your. Head. Up.
  - FLERP! says:
    
    November 18, 2020 at 9:49 pm
    
    LCT, I don’t think that was kk’s reasoning, but what is the Health Equity Quartile?
  - LeftCoastTeacher says:
    
    November 18, 2020 at 10:06 pm
    
    It’s how the virus is affecting communities of color.
  - FLERP! says:
    
    November 18, 2020 at 10:25 pm
    
    I meant what does the term mean and why does it lead to the conclusion that every school, rather than just schools where infections and transmission are high, should be closed. I’ll look it up.
  - LeftCoastTeacher says:
    
    November 18, 2020 at 10:47 pm
    
    If you have a while to watch, I highly recommend this recording of a union webinar I attended on Monday to explain everything:
    
    I was going to post it earlier, but I didn’t think that would be kosher until I saw it published.
  - LeftCoastTeacher says:
    
    November 18, 2020 at 10:52 pm
    
    Might want to skip the first ten minutes or so.
  - LeftCoastTeacher says:
    
    November 18, 2020 at 11:10 pm
    
    If you have less time, just watch minutes 13 to 30.
  - Beth says:
    
    November 19, 2020 at 9:33 am
    
    @LeftCoastTeacher – The real problem in NYC is Staten Island. That’s where most of the Trump voters in NYC are. They have been driving up our positivity rate for weeks.
    
    https://forward.ny.gov/percentage-positive-results-region-dashboard
    
    FYI – Staten Island is Richmond County.
  - dianeravitch says:
    
    November 19, 2020 at 1:00 pm
    
    Orthodox Jews in NYC have also refused to wear masks or socially distance. The rules are for others, not them.
- retired teacher says:
  
  November 18, 2020 at 4:09 pm
  
  NYC schools probably have more “choice” within public schools but outside of local neighborhoods than most other places. Especially for secondary schools there are many options including those that specialize in the arts, science and mathematics and a school for newcomer ELLs. There are other options as well.
  
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Bob Shepherd says:

November 18, 2020 at 3:52 pm

Please note that the CDC has changed its website, removing its previous guidance supporting in-person line. The website now says that that “the body of evidence is growing that children of all ages are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and contrary to early reports might play a role in transmission.” The website also lists in-person learning as high risk.

Of course it is, people’s magical, wishful thinking to the contrary.

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- Bob Shepherd says:
  
  November 18, 2020 at 3:53 pm
  
  cx: supporting in-person learning.
  
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- kathyirwin1 says:
  
  November 18, 2020 at 4:24 pm
  
  Thank you! Slowly reality seeps into the CDC website. Too late to save the lives of the thousands now infected and expiring. The body of evidence grows as the bodies of children and adults are sacrificed for the almighty/ not-so-mighty DOLLAR.
  
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  - Bob Shepherd says:
    
    November 18, 2020 at 5:36 pm
    
    I’m concerned about the long-term secondary effects on children’s health of having the disease, even if they are asymptomatic. This is a HUGE issue for adults, the ramifications of which are only beginning to be recognized.
- LeftCoastTeacher says:
  
  November 18, 2020 at 5:21 pm
  
  It’s only right. Young people are less symptomatic, not lower risk.
  
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  - LeftCoastTeacher says:
    
    November 18, 2020 at 5:23 pm
    
    And since we still do not understand the morbidity rates (as opposed to the mortality rates) young people are not safe from Covid at school.
  - Bob Shepherd says:
    
    November 18, 2020 at 5:35 pm
    
    It will be a very, very good thing when the CDC becomes, again, and independent scientific organization and we participate fully and respectfully in the World Health Organization!
  - LeftCoastTeacher says:
    
    November 18, 2020 at 6:50 pm
    
    Yes indeed.
Bob Shepherd says:

November 18, 2020 at 4:30 pm

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/526370-cdc-quietly-removes-guidance-pushing-for-school-reopenings

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- Bob Shepherd says:
  
  November 18, 2020 at 4:35 pm
  
  From that article:
  
  “It does appear that children can become infected,” [Michael Beach, the CDC’s deputy incident manager for the COVID-19 response] said, and “clearly can transmit.”
  
  The CDC’s website now states that “the body of evidence is growing that children of all ages are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and contrary to early reports might play a role in transmission.”
  
  The website also acknowledges that “teachers and students are in close contact for much of the day, and schools can become a place where respiratory diseases like COVID-19 can quickly spread.”
  
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  - Bob Shepherd says:
    
    November 18, 2020 at 4:37 pm
    
    Now that stable genius and science truth arbiter Donald Trump has clearly lost the election, I guess that the CDC feels emboldened to tell the truth.
  - Bob Shepherd says:
    
    November 18, 2020 at 4:49 pm
    
    Well, I should have been kinder. I guess that the CDC now feels emboldened to express caution equal to the risk.