Yesterday, we wrote about parents threatening to strike on the first day of New York City public school — and beyond — because they don’t trust the Department of Education to protect their children’s health. They demand a remote schooling option until Covid, including the Delta variant, is no longer a threat. We heard from… Continue reading NYC Parents Against Any Remote Schooling Option
Despite last week’s City Council hearing on the September 13, 2021 return to school plans, where Education Committee Chair Mark Treyger and a cohort of parents advocated for a remote education option, Mayor Bill de Blasio and School Chancellor Meisha Porter insisted that, save for listed medical exceptions*, all students, vaccinated or not, would be… Continue reading Will NYC Parents Strike On the First Day Of School – And Beyond?
In response to last week’s post, Everything We Don’t Yet Know About NYC School Reopening 2021 (But We’re Not Afraid To Ask), multiple parents commented that they were terrified to send their unvaccinated children back to school in September without a remote option. When he spoke at a press conference on Thursday, August 26, Mayor… Continue reading We Know What’s Best For Your Child: NYC Answers (Some) Parent Questions About Back To School 2021
This summer, my fully vaccinated 14-year-old daughter was finally able to return to her Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation program at the Harlem Armory, a NY State facility. Halfway through the six-week training camp, a fellow team member tested positive for COVID. All those who’d had contact with them were ordered to quarantine for 10 days.… Continue reading Everything We Don’t Yet Know About NYC School Reopening 2021 (But We’re Not Afraid To Ask)
Last year at this time, New York City public school families had no idea what the plan for returning in the fall might be. This year is starting to feel like deja vu all over again. Guidelines keep changing on a daily basis, along with building quarantine and closing policies. In light of all the… Continue reading What NYC Parents Are Planning (And Hoping, and Fearing) For Back To School 2021
“How’s homeschooling going?” I am asked regularly by those who know I allowed my middle child to leave Stuyvesant High School this past November, two months into his Junior year. (I was actually stopped on the street by a woman who pointed at me and told her kid, “That’s the mom who let her son… Continue reading Independence Day: How Covid Spurred NYC Families To Explore All Their School Options
New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio announced on March, 24, 2021 that, come September, all public school students would be back in the classroom, five days a week, in front of live teachers. A remote learning option would no longer be available, and medical accomodations for teachers would be severely curtailed. Here is what the… Continue reading NYC Mayor Promises Full Return To In-Person School, No Remote Option: Parents Respond
(This is a guest post by Joseph S. Lento, a licensed Teacher of Orchestral Music and School District Administration. In 2014, President Obama named him a National Teacher of Arts and Humanities. Joseph also has commendations from Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. In 1999, he was named NYC Public Schools Bronx County… Continue reading Remote Learning: A Tool for Educator Self Assessment
Most of NYC’s 1.1 million public school students are doing remote learning. Every student needs an internet-connected device. As of mid-October, 77,000 students were still missing devices necessary for distance learning. I don’t doubt that 77,000 devices can be distributed in ten weeks, but I do doubt that they have been. Mostly because thousands of… Continue reading COVID Rates Rise, Remote Learning Continues: How You Can Help
On Thursday, December 10, 2020, almost exactly nine months after he first closed New York City public schools, Mayor Bill De Blasio triumphantly announced that he finally has a plan for dealing with the disruption and learning loss. He calls it the 2021 Student Achievement Plan! (But wasn’t the bulk of the disruption and learning… Continue reading A Matter Of Trust: Why Some Families Have Lost All Faith In NYC Schools
