Monday, August 24, 2020

OUTDOOR LEARNING PLAN UNVEILED

 This picture was on a friend's Facebook.

The picture is from a Channel 7 story on the mayor's new outside learning plan.

Some details:

The outdoor learning plan will apply to all public, charter, and even private schools in the city.

--Principals can set up classrooms in their schoolyards and request additional space

--Any school that applies by Friday 8/28 will have a response next week.

--The plan prioritizes the 27 hardest-hit neighborhoods and schools with no usable outdoor space.

Schools must provide barriers and staffing to close any street. When submitting a street location, schools are strongly encouraged to select streets with the following criteria:

--Is a quiet, non-commercial street

--Is a one-way street; if two-way, not more than one lane of traffic in each direction

--Is not an MTA bus route or truck route


What really worries me is Bill de Blasio may actually believe his own BS.

56 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why does randi only mention trump?

Randi Weingarten
@rweingarten

Trump has risked the lives of teachers and students. Trump and Betsy DeVos have no plan to allow kids to return to school safely and they continue to lie and claim children are virtually immune to the virus.

Anonymous said...

We are about to go on strike for the first time in decades and possibly bankrupt ourselves. Thousands of layoffs on the horizon. UFT VP Hinds is focused on...

Janella Hinds Retweeted
Don’t walk away.
Don’t resist.
Don’t be disrespectful.
Don’t walk.
Don’t jog.
Don’t go to the store.
Don’t play outside.
Don’t play loud music.
Don’t think you’re free.
Don’t be Black.

Anonymous said...

Sure, now let's teach outdoors. That'll be great during the next tropical storm. Oh, and sometimes it gets cold after September.
What will be their next rabbit trick?

Anonymous said...

It was mentioned a few times in the previous thread, but do we all think, with the huge uptick in violent crime and shooting in NY, is it even safe for us and the students to be in the subway or walking the streets?

Anonymous said...

NYCMayor of course people are going to move back in to NYC… Why wouldn’t they? Open the schools!!!

Rob O'Donnell
I was in NYC for a total of 43 hours. Within that time, I witnessed a dozen crimes, rampant drug use, pandhandlers & squeegee guys, 3 dozen homeless, and two possible dead guys that dozens of NY’ers walked by without a second look. The city smells & was dirty AF.

Anonymous said...

Two lane traffic! So you're going to have cars coming down the opposite lane while kids are sitting outside. Besides the safety hazard what about the noise?

Anonymous said...

De Blasio, after going six months without even providing us a calendar, thinks we should "step up." We stepped up in April and we step up every day of our lives. In fact, we're stepping up to defend ourselves, our students, and our community against de Blasio's preposterous and dangerous reopening scheme. It's time for you to step up, Mr. Mayor, and do your job. Make schools safe and we are all in.

Anonymous said...

I grew up in Brooklyn, NY and now have had the honor to be teaching in NYC for the past 18 years. I absolutely love my job. I love teaching kids. I cannot wait to get back to teaching and be back to normal, but I am afraid NYC is not prepared for September at all.

I am writing to you to express how unprepared Mayor de blasio and Chancellor Carranza are for what lies ahead. NYC schools faculty has not been presented with a school calendar yet. Teachers have not been able to access our classrooms since March. We have had no clear and meaningful leadership or training from the Department of Education of what the expectations of blended learning are, or what remote teaching will look like either for this school year. We have had no training in how to secure our classrooms to lessen the spread of Covid. We have had no training whatsoever. It is now August 24th and the city has yet to come up with a plan for parents, teachers and students and staff members. I am also a working parent. I need to know my work schedule in order to accommodate my own children's schedule. Teachers are planners by nature, we want to plan so we can be best prepared. We cannot even get an answer on when the first day of school will be!

The mayor's latest brilliant idea is to have classes outside. This is a terrible idea. Students are easily distracted by something as simple as a fly coming into their classrooms. Having class outside poses a wide array of distractions, not to mention putting children in danger, as the city's crime rate is rising at an alarming rate. Let's not also forget the logistics of getting kids outside, having working technology for our lessons, and of course bathroom availability. This last ditch effort by the mayor is proof that he knows that school buildings will not be safe to teach in come September.

If it has not even been deemed safe to eat in restaurants in NYC, how can school buildings be deemed safe to be in for hours at a time? The ventilation systems are old, outdated and unreliable. My classroom windows only open a few inches in my classroom and it is not enough to circulate air. Children will be allowed to take their masks off for instruction lunch, while some poor, sacrificial lamb of a teacher will have to supervise them. My own physicians do not allow me in their offices without wearing a mask. They do not even allow patients to convene in a waiting room, instead we are made to sit in our cars while we wait. Surely, you can't be blind to the fact that going shopping or running an errand is not the same as sitting in a poorly ventilated room for 5.5 hours surrounded by children?

The way NYC Plans to reopen is going to be a miserable teaching and learning experience for children also. Children will be isolated, at their desks, for 5.5 hours every day, wearing a mask except for the time they have an instructional lunch. THEY WON'T EVEN GET A BREAK FOR LUNCH! Is this how you would want your child to learn? Is this how you would want to learn?

Anonymous said...

The worst part of all is that nobody from the DOE or the Mayor's office reached out to teachers for our insight, our experiences or our opinions on schools reopening. The Chancellor had a "Town Hall" which was prerecorded, began late, and did not address the many questions that NYC Dept of Education employees had. In fact they received over 8,000 question submissions. Chancellor Carranza handed off the questions to his many, deputy chancellors who make well over 200k/year. They. only answered 20 questions out of the 8,000 submitted. Carranza did not answer anything. Teachers were talked to, not spoken with. The entire town hall was a charade to fulfill the requirement of NYC DOE meeting with teachers. Teachers left that meeting angrier and confused as ever. We do not feel safe. We do not feel valued. We do not feel as if our voices are being heard.

I would take a bullet for my students in the event of an active shooter. I am not willing to go back to work unless it is safe for me, my students, my colleagues and all of our families.

Please, Governor Cuomo, step in and delay NYC Schools reopening in person. We are not ready. We need to start this school year off remotely and then work our way back into the buildings, slowly, cautiously, and in a manner where we all feel safe.

Anonymous said...

I am at a loss for this outdoor learning nonsense. Some of my colleagues work in rough neighborhoods. How can this be safe for students and teachers? I work with special needs students who are runners and can’t even focus with the slightest sound. This can even be difficult for students in Gen Ed classrooms with behavior issues. Sigh. I just needed to vent.

Anonymous said...

We are the P.S. 169, Sunset Park School Equity Team. We have worked collaboratively for the past two years to mobilize around issues of equity. The recent uptick of COVID-19 cases in Sunset Park has prompted us to speak out against the reopening of school buildings, and to call for a targeted testing plan that addresses the particular needs of our community.

Mayor de Blasio has said that city school buildings would not open if there is an average 3% test positivity rate over a span of a week. According to The City, a nonprofit and non-partisan digital news platform, since early August, Sunset Park has had a weekly positivity rate of 5%. Until all communities fall below the 3% threshold, the only equitable solution is for all school buildings to remain closed in New York City. Any other course of action would jeopardize the health and safety of already disenfranchised communities. Closing school buildings in Sunset Park alone would also be an inequitable solution, as it would create division between white students and students of color with regards to who receives instruction in school buildings and who learns remotely.

We want to qualify that we are not taking this request lightly. We want to return to our school building, meet our students, and get back to our classrooms. Our students need us now more than ever, and we are all too aware of the difficulties facing our families during this challenging time, in terms of collective trauma, food insecurity, and lack of quality health care.

During school building closures and throughout the summer, we have supported our families in a variety of ways. For example, our school community created a GoFundMe page to support our families dealing with food insecurity and raised over $30,000! Our teachers, school aides, and administrators worked hand in hand with South Brooklyn Mutual Aid to deliver over 300 boxes of food to P.S. 169 families. Our school kitchen has been the busiest hub in District 15 for Grab-and-Go meals. Our kitchen staff prepares an average of 5,000 Grab-and-Go meals every single day!

We understand how much our school means to the Sunset Park community. However, sending teachers and students back to our classrooms while there is such a high rate of infection is putting an already vulnerable community further at risk. We also know that the high positivity rate in our neighborhood is reflective of families’ reluctance to be tested, a reluctance borne of a history of distrust. As New York City Councilmember Carlos Menchaca has noted, the community “has been neglected for years by the mayor, and is now being underfunded by the council because of politics.” By reopening school buildings without proper precautions and measures, it is inevitable that communities like ours will, once again, suffer the most.

Our students and families have an increased risk of exposure to the virus. Many of our students are in overcrowded housing where multiple families share living spaces in multigenerational households. If students are exposed to COVID-19, they may spread it among their home community. A student may bring the virus home to their grandparents, who are their main caregivers while students’ parents are at work. If grandparents are exposed to COVID-19, families may lose food and home security as well as child care assistance. Many family members are also frontline workers who are not able to shelter in place, and by necessity often commute to jobs throughout the city. As reflected in the New York City Comptroller’s data report on frontline workers (link here), 28% of the city’s frontline workers live in Brooklyn, with between 10,000 and 15,000 in Sunset Park.

Anonymous said...

Our families understand their vulnerabilities all too well and have communicated their legitimate fears very clearly: at present, 70% of our families have chosen remote over blended learning—well above the citywide average. This statistic comes from our survey results, but it is also important to note that we did quite a bit of direct outreach to families who did not complete the survey in order to learn their preferences. Staff volunteers at our school are still in the process of calling each family, so the number of families opting into remote-only is likely to change over time.

The principals of District 15 have already issued a letter (link here) calling for appropriate safety protocols to be in place before the reopening of school buildings. In addition to their requests, which we fully support, we are demanding school buildings remain closed until every neighborhood in New York City falls under the 3% test positivity rate threshold. We also call for an ongoing and targeted testing plan that addresses any reluctance to testing due to language barriers, lack of information, or fear of visa or citizenship status. Without taking these critical steps, the city cannot move forward with a safe reopening. We entreat Mayor de Blasio to heed the advice of the educators, nurses, parents, and community members who are calling for these crucial measures.

Anonymous said...

DiBlasio Clarified how weather may impact outdoor learning:

"Safety is our number 1 concern; as such outdoor learning can continue as long as hurricanes remain below a category 3"

Anonymous said...

We are complaining because teacher's werent consulted on these ideas. Might it be because our union leaders best plan is impossible testing requirements and striking?

Either we make legitimate suggestions or we are stuck with what they give us because school is opening whether we like it or not.

Now if we strike how would that look? If we dont strike how would that look? And like that Mulgrew screwed us, we have NO leverage.

Firm53 said...

Outdoor instruction?? Just hope they provide teachers with extremely long, long, long, long —extension cords for their Smartboard lesson presentations .

Anonymous said...

Csa is doing nothing?

Anonymous said...

And we want cuomo to save us.

NY has had more covid deaths than CA, FL and TX combined.

Anonymous said...

What about releasing the school year calendar?

Anonymous said...

PRESS NYC: Responsive Equitable and Safe Schools
@safeschoolsny

Dispatch From D2 Principal: "Just so you all know, principals have yet to receive ANY communication about this outdoor learning plan. Not. One. Single. Email."
@BrianLehrer

@ByJessicaGould
Great job holding the mayor accountable today, hope you are following this too.
Quote Tweet

Anonymous said...

I can picture giving students handouts and the wind blowing them away. Where's your homework? It blew up into that tree over there. Never heard that one yet.

Anonymous said...

Maybee our so called mayor could rent us some campers and tents.

Anonymous said...

Cuomo has stated that NY will reopen slowly, in phases to try to ensure the safety of people. Why are NYC public schools scheduled to open abruptly? NYC public schools have the majority of students that come from low income backgrounds, are people of color and are traditionally provided with the worse conditions. Due to these factors, our students are the most vulnerable yet we have a mayor that wants to open schools - 1-2-3 NOW.

This is very dangerous.

Gyms were slotted to open in NYC, but plans were stopped. Wonder why!





Anonymous said...

Mayor Casually Hints That Indoor Dining May Not Return Until 2021 but don't worry, schools will be fine.

Anonymous said...

Connecticut school district to begin year online amid ‘serious’ COVID-19 outbreak

Anonymous said...

Aaaand the principals union weighs in:

"once again, the City and DOE have made decisions, rolled out guidance and announced a deadline far too late and haphazardly for school leaders to develop and implement a thoughtful and well-constructed plan."

Anonymous said...

Just read the minutes from the UFT meeting.

*Short strike medical would be ok, longterm all bets are off?

During a pandemic we would consider something that causes us to lose our medical?

Are we going to have transparency on this potential strike vote because I know of no one who wants to strike. Not one teacher! And they talk about it like it's absolutely going to happen if demands aren't met.

Anonymous said...

Smart boards in tents? Charging laptops?

TeachNY said...

Are Long Island school’s opening plans that much safer? If parents on here have LI children, are you sending them or keeping them home so you can joke school them?

Anonymous said...

I cannot help but laugh with the WTF Is this a joke comment as the caption, the possibility of outdoor teaching up to Hurricane 3 category and hoping for a loooong extension cords for the smart board. This is just unreal, but De Blasio made it seem so doable in his conference as he does with everything that comes out of his mouth.

Anonymous said...

I’m sure that
@NYCMayor
is counting on those nurses from California he’s paying hiring bonuses, relocation fees, hotel stays and meal plans to fill in at
@NYCSchools
buildings when our staff doesn’t show up. The DOE hides these costs so taxpayers won’t see. #COVID19

TeachNY said...

My whole school is no. So I think it’s just online people that I see saying yes.

Anonymous said...

All you dem lovers...Happy with de blasio, like the crime, like the respect we get?

Anonymous said...

These are our leaders and they have an iq of zero. A bunch of morons who come up with unreasonable plans. Its going to be fun watching everything crumble the first week. We dont have to worry about striking.

James Eterno said...

This is a huge system Teach NY. Your school may be opposed but do not think it is just a few online people who support UFT's position.Never make the mistake of thinking your building or your circle of friends represents the City. It might but it very well may not. I don't know too many people who voted for the 2005 contract but it passed with 60% of the vote.

TeachNY said...

I voted NO for that piece of crap contract. We shall see. The union needs to be transparent with exactly how much $ is at stake here. Five days of striking equals what? One paycheck? Two paychecks?
Can they fire anyone at any time ? I don’t want to hear “that’s not likely.” I really want honest answers.

Anonymous said...

Today principals in District 7 became the sixth group of school leaders to ask for a reopening delay, I believe. Principals in D1, 2, 6, 7, 13 and 15 have publicly asked for such a pause. Am I missing anyone?

Also, D7's letter looks nearly identical to District 15's, but there is one huge exception paragraph — they are very concerned about holding classes outside:

Letter from principals in the South Bronx, raising alarms about the timeline for reopening, and crucially, concerns about outdoor learning, which they fear will not be safe. One principal says a woman was shot to death outside their school a few days ago.

Anonymous said...

There is a major difference though and that is money is a huge issue. So many are unemployed which means teachers may have a spouse or at-home child unemployed. They may have lost a second job.

I think some have made it sound like because mortgage companies will work with you or you can't be evicted that these bills are wiped away. They are only accumulating or get pushed back. That money is still owed. Many are stressed by that and would rather face the risks.

I also read the guidelines for chapter leaders for our upcoming meetings and in it it said that "if the union votes no" to a strike that it would be a "disaster." It would be but it would probably have been better to take the temperature of the union first.

I'll be honest, I am reading both sides of this. I oppose the strike but agree with James, I don't think there is any way to gauge how this vote will go.

James Eterno said...

With the horrible shape the UFT is in, I hope to God you are wrong TeachNY. The mayor is not taking us seriously. If we don't get real support for real militant action, we will be set back another few years in our quest for dignity.

TeachNY said...

I would just like to know what the repercussions are. Anytime I ask that question, I’m left with vague responses. I think we have a right to know.
1-exactly how much $ is at stake. 5 days of striking equals how many paychecks?
2-I know people are saying not likely, but is it legal to fire striking teachers? I think it is.
3-is it possible that this could last more than a month?

Anonymous said...

Has anyone been approved for a reasonable accommodation but only learned of it by landing into application?
I saw approved on line and took screenshots but received no written email or snail mail?

James , I know this is a blogging site ( yours) , but given that these are extraordinary times, do you think a singular entry some thing long the lines of such as
"The flame free zone for questions and experience sharing about reasonable accommodations. approved, denied, applies "

This way are questions and concerns and experience sharing and answering each others questions on this topic , could be in one central place?
Thank you for your consideration.

Anonymous said...

Given the positive test rate we run the risk of looking like we are using Covid to shirk our teaching duties (and scr*wing the NYC kids by doing so).

At the same time that does not mean Mayor Doofus handled last year's closing properly.

Anonymous said...

Mulgrew just sent an email threatening legal action or job action (strike). Wouldn't it make sense to pursue this in court first? I don't see how the UFT loses given the incompetence of the mayor and DOE.

Anonymous said...

Mulgrew sent email saying layoffs coming. Can someone post it?

Anonymous said...

Post that email please???

James Eterno said...

You ask, we answer:

1-The strike would not last more than a day or two. The city would immediately seek an injunction to stop it while the UFT would seek an injunction to close the schools. Ironically, all of this will be fought in virtual court more than likely. I would be shocked if a job action lasts for more than a day or two. As for salary deductions, I do not believe the DOE has the capability to change the payroll just like that. It took them two pay periods to get me off payroll when I retired in April 2018.

On the issue of Taylor Law fines, last time I checked this is still the USA. We are innocent until proven guilty. We would argue any action was not a strike while the city would say it was. This would take years to wind its way through the courts. I cannot predict who will win in the end but for now please no more misinformation about ending up in the poorhouse if we go out. I just talked to Norm Scott who struck in 1975. He confirmed that it was years, not months before he was fined for striking. I have already talked about dropping any case against us as a condition of a UFT mayoral endorsement. Corey Johnson and Scott Stringer were at the UFT presser announcing the possible job action last week. The UFT has powerful friends.

2-The penalty for striking is a fine, not dismissal. See above answer 1 for more details.

3- Again see answer 1 as to why this action does not last for more than a day or two. Our chances in court to get that injunction are much greater if 100,000 UFTers are not at work.

James Eterno said...

100,000 not at work in buildings that is but ready, willing and able to work remotely.

Shelley said...

Mulgrew's letter is backpedaling. It reads a lot like James's great back peddle here yesterday as he tried to define a strike as not a strike.

Neither passes the smell test unless we're sniffing bullshit.

The threat, the triple threat is not going to be met with any job action, any militancy, a strike.

Our UFT bosses and their pals will cut a money deal and we will pay for it.




Anonymous said...

I agree Mulgrew's latest email is total backpedal. He is chickening out. No UFT action will take place. He must go!

James Eterno said...

Shelley, It wasn't a strike in 1993 when the UFT got the Board of Ed to shut the school buildings over asbestos. The UFT's job is to make sure members are safe and the Contract gives us a right to a safe work environment. It wasn't a strike in 2006 when we walked out of Jamaica HS with Randi and Klein's okay because there was no running water in the building. Ensuring safety is what unions do.

It is the DOE-City that is being irrational now and their plan does not leave UFTers with a safe workplace. We don't want any more UFT member or student lives being placed at risk.

Call me bullshitting if you wish. I have absolutely nothing to gain monetarily. I am not a UFT boss. Mulgrew might dislike me more than any of his other critics.

Anonymous said...

Just read the email. Wow. He NOW says teachers, students, and staff “should” instead of “must” be tested. He also says we must open schools because infection rate is low. Yeah ok , BUT the idea is to keep it low and keep people safe by staying remote! Also 22,000 layoffs and almost HALF, 9,000, from the UFT! He seems to have backed off. Could it be because he is now hearing from some rank and file who refuse to strike? It shouldn’t matter, make a stand and hold strong. This is getting more unreal by the day. - Hawk

Anonymous said...

First, I am one those posting here against the strike

Second, thank you to James first for allowing all ideas. He doesn't have to do that and he should be commended for it.

Third, Also thanks to James for that explanation about when fines might be imposed and so on. Finally answers we are looking for that seem more concrete and not speculative

Finally, I did not read Mulgrew's email as back peddling. there was no point pushing the strike as a vote has not come from members yet or a full gauge as to where we all stand. This is the tact he should have taken at first because a "no" vote will bite him.

Bronx ATR said...

93/94 was one of the worst teaching years I ever had. I was teaching at junior high school 120. That extra time away from the school was a gift. Not intentionally intended for me as it had all the hallmarks of a directed vendetta from our once powerful and bonafide Union. Safety was the facade used. Who would have thought it would become useful once again and be used in the same manner. Goodbye, Chancellor Carranza.

Anonymous said...

Did you hear? The mayor said we could have outdoor classrooms because of "global warming." What hyperbole!
Progressives can't help themselves; "never let a crisis go to waste."

Anonymous said...

Progressives have always noted that global warming actually causes more extreme weather conditions like bigger storms, more hurricanes, etc. Now global warming is our friend. Everybody, let's get our aerosol hair spray cans and increase coal production. We may get through January with outside learning just in time for an early spring around Groundhog Day.

Anonymous said...

Get ready for a brutal winter and another Halloween snowstorm. . Deblasio is so incompetent that even Mother Nature will have no choice but to contradict him.

Unitymustgo! said...

Snow days? You don't get no stinkin snow days! Work remotely you lazy teachers your children need you.