De Blasio’s plan for school could backfire. Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images Teachers and principals are calling for a delay to New York City’s school year. Union leaders representing both groups have written to Mayor Bill de Blasio with questions they say the city has yet to answer. But de Blasio won’t budge. The mayor showed little patience for anxious teachers on Thursday.
If there’s bad blood between teachers and de Blasio, the events of March have something to do with it. The mayor’s much-criticized decision to delay a citywide shutdown affected teachers, too, who were expected to report to work as deaths from COVID-19 ticked steadily upward. By the time de Blasio finally closed schools on March 15, a week after Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency, the city had already become a national epicenter for the virus.
That ought to complicate de Blasio’s reopening plan — even if the mayor has the support of many parents, as he claims. According to a DOE survey, three–quarters of parents opted for a mix of in-person and virtual learning over an all-remote option. But there’s a possibility the survey overestimated the real number of parents who prefer in-person instruction. As Gothamist previously reported, children whose parents didn’t return the form were automatically registered for hybrid learning.
onesarahjones - Nurses volunteered, even traveling to NYC to help. - Doctor's were there in the thick of it. - NYC Firefighters were there in the thick of it. NYC Police were there in the thick of it... All of them serving people they didn't know! .... and the teachers are cowering in fear!
onesarahjones 'Like it or not?' It's not a disagreement or difference of opinion. They are scared for their lives and the people they live with and teach.
onesarahjones clean NY streets first!!
onesarahjones This mayor ia really awful
onesarahjones This is about the election. People home with their kids are less likely to go vote.
onesarahjones No, he’s not asking for it. NYM is insinuating a protest.
onesarahjones