Learning, slowly: De Blasio and his schools chancellor start to give clearer plans on the coming school year
Finally, parents know what will happen to their child’s class and school if a fellow student tests positive. Finally, parents and teachers and principals know that if the entire city’s positive COVID test rate hits 3% or above on average for seven days, in-person schooling will not resume.
That’s a strict standard, but one properly protective of public health in a once-bitten, twice-shy place like New York City.
These and other details Mayor de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza released Friday, a little more than a month before the nation’s largest school system is set, sanitized fingers crossed, to resume.
About that: Teachers union President Michael Mulgrew, who de Blasio and Carranza say was consulted with every step of the way, says the plan doesn’t do nearly enough to protect his members. Oops.
Meanwhile, de Blasio still hasn’t well explained why he hasn’t made a bigger push to set up tents outside schools to enable safer outdoor learning. He blames unpredictable weather. Is that all?
Nor have he or Carranza given a compelling reason why the DOE is making no age-based distinctions on in-person or at-home learning. Research suggests younger kids may be less likely to spread the disease (though there’s still real risk, nevermind President Trump’s dangerously wishful thinking). Older kids, who seem to be readier spreaders of the virus, are also mature enough to learn remotely.
Would it not be wise to encourage youngsters to come while using vacant middle- and high-school space to help them spread out?
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