UPDATED
I just tuned into Governor Andrew Cuomo's presser. He is contradicting Mayor Bill de Blasio on schools. He says Mayor is giving his opinion on schools closing and that it is premature. He says there has been no decision on schools. Cuomo claims legal authority on schools. Wants it to be regional decision.
Press coverage with reactions is here.
Earlier, I listened to the Mayor say the schools will be closed in NYC for the rest of the school year and that remote learning will continue. Here are my notes on what de Blasio and Chancellor Richard Carranza said.
I am monitoring Mayor Bill de Blasio's press conference. He announced that the schools in NYC will be closed for the remainder of this school year. He claimed distance learning has been successful. Distance learning will continue. More devices will go out to the kids.
They plan to reopen schools in September.
Chancellor Richard Carranza spoke after the Mayor. Carranza emphasized flexibility and patience.
Chalkbeat asked about extending next school year. De Blasio responded by talking about challenges for next year. Chancellor said they are looking to labor partners. Everything is on the table. Need to make mental health a priority.
Question about parents taking on teaching kids. Chancellor answers parents are not alone. There is a lot of creativity going on.
Question about summer school. De Blasio replied that we don't know what the summer will bring. We have to get out of this phase of the pandemic. We don't want a resurgence of the virus. Chancellor said there is optimism and realism. Optimistic view to have buildings open for summer. Realistic view is schools will be remotely open in summer. Working on making sure District 75 students have their needs met.
Question about Regents. Carranza says June Regents exams already canceled. We don't know about August. (Link to modified graduation requirements)
Question about reporting student attendance. De Blasio says it is a challenge but with every week, we are getting better. Chancellor says there is a once a day attendance policy. He adds we are trying to get to students who have not reported at all. He tells families to get in touch with DOE about devices. Mailed out learning packets to those who have no internet and sent out 245,000 devices. All will have one by end of April.
De Blasio says he is very worried about food situation. Katherine Garcia is food czar. Over 400 school sites serving grab and go breakfast, lunch and dinners.
Carranza emphasizes flexibility in grading. Wants students to engage in learning. Social-emotional learning is important. Grading is happening but not the same as under usual circumstances.
UFT response to closing? What is DOE doing for families? Mayor says Bronx plan gets some of the best teachers up there before pandemic. We have counselors. We had long conversations with health people and Dr Fauci last night before deciding to close. Carranza says he has multiple daily conversations with labor leaders who were supportive of decision to close.
Is June 26 still last day? Carranza says teaching and learning still happening. No change on end of school year based on waivers we received from state.
50 comments:
Very sad news!
Schools set to open in September, NOT THE SUMMER! Time to crack a beer or 10.
This is definitely going to be the highest graduation rate ever. I wouldn't be surprised if it were over 100% since they force many students to graduate early. Too bad for prom and graduation exercises though.
Read the subtext between everything Carranza, DiBlasio, and Cuomo has said over the past few weeks - Something tells me, and I hope I am wrong, that September 2020 will look like NCLB ON STEROIDS!!!
Chancellor said regarding extending the school year, "looking to labor leaders". What exactly does that mean? Better start thinking about Mulgrew agreeing with Chancellor that we should extend the school and work year, for the kids of course.
How would that play out contractually???
We are paid over 12 months with summer months built in, we would all have to be paid full salary.
Also, how would chapter 683 work remotely? Or will Chapter 683 even be on the table?
The DOE still has not released any numbers on attendance or anything else.
Read the subtext between everything Carranza, DiBlasio, and Cuomo has said over the past few weeks - Something tells me, and I hope I am wrong, that September 2020 will look like NCLB ON STEROIDS!!!
Meaning what?
From Leonie Haimson:
The Mayor kept saying they would have to have the best year academically ever next year to make up for this year. However, he didn’t say how that would be possible with budget cuts to schools of $100M and larger classes.
Are all the school cleaners and bus drivers on full salary through the end of the year? Are they working remotely also?
SCHOOL is not closed yet. Governor Andy said so.
de blasio has no authority to close schools with cuomo.
I think you mean the mayor can't close the schools without Cuomo 12:27. I would agree with that.
Cuomo could withhold state funding if school buildings open statewide and city stays shut.
Cuomo said as of now,... they are not closed!
When I was watching the mayors conference, I asked myself, did he run this by the governor, obviously not :) That has been such a huge problem with our response, our mayor and governor does not play nice. I agreed with the governor, the school is linked to folks going back to work. With schools closed, almost impossible to re-open the economy. How long can we allow the NYS and NYC economy to crater, before risk of social unrest. The only way we can sustain a sustain closed economy is with a federal bailout, what are the chances of that.
What nerve Cuomo has to undermine De Blasio's move to keep nyc schools closed. We have exponentially more cases in NY than in the rest of the country and other states and cities have already closed for the year. Didn't Cuomo have to urge De Blasio in March to close the nyc schools? Why didn't he just do it himself if De Blasio doesn't have the authority? I still don't see why these dems want him as pres or v.p. He's as moronic and indecisive as the mayor.
@ pre: yes.
I gotta be honest. After June 26, 2020, I don't want to see a school until September. It's not always about being there for the students. 10 months a year...like the rest of you, I'm absolutely there for the students. Then the summer break prepares us for the next 10 months. I will pull my dues for the summer.
Defend your teachers Mulgrew!
El Blasio spento so mucho tiempo at el gymo no can puede remembero if el mayoro actuallyo tiene el powero to cerrado los escuelas.
This is all about testing and mass gatherings. If we open the schools without testing for the virus or antigens, how would we know if the person next to us is or is not infected? Without an antigen test that's 100% certain no one should gather in large groups.
I just spent 25 minutes in line to enter the supermarket (at 7:30 am no less!). Why not, when the time comes, open up Sears and Best Buy first, you could still have social distancing by limiting people in the stores as a precaution against the virus returning. But, how are you going to do that in a school? Are you gonna have little Johnny wait in a line for his differentiated learning? Schools are mass gatherings, cafeterias are filled with hundreds of students and would be a petri dish for the virus' return.
Who is going to watch little Johnny if businesses start to open? World's largest babysitting service, DOE.
Cuomo said we are daycare. Parents cant go to work if we arent babysitting. He used the word DAYCARE.
How do PE teachers use social distancing?
1:43 PM: Very loose defense
You know it's funny when people were calling for the closing of schools, Cuomo said it was up to each district and now he says coordination. He's like every politician he talks out of the side of his mouth. A real Putz like his father!!!
@1:42 PM - Yes, Cuomo did state that schools are DAYCARE and that schools provide good DAYCARE. Do you have a babysitting and childcare certification or your NYS Teaching, School Counselor, School Social Work, School Psychologist, etc. Certification and NYC license in these areas? Hmmmmm..... Let's all go look at our certifications.
@1:10 PM - Love your espanolo.
11:53 AM - Means that schools for the school year 2020-2021 will aggressively aim to educate students for the time lost this school year due to the pandemic.
Gracias. Yo soy Miguel Bloombergito.
Pretty clear that all this proves school is a farce and students either arent learning anything or necessary tests and school work aren't necessary. If regents aren't needed now, why are they ever needed?
Michigan AG Dana Nessel blames "white folks outraged because they can’t go golfing,” for high rate of coronavirus deaths among African-Americans.
Apparently no "white folks" are bus drivers, cops or healthcare workers, dying from coronavirus:
“I just can’t hear about one more black health care worker, police officer or bus driver die while... white folks outraged because they can’t go golfing.”
- Mich AG Dana Nessel
The finger pointing, the one-upmanship, even by our Mayor and Governor, our leaders and organizers, in the middle of a major crisis, and the social-media fake and counter fake news, the baiting and debating about union dues, the anger and anxiety and madness, the sadness for our lost loved ones, our brothers and sisters who've died working, the dismemberment of union membership by members ... all this is not unique to the current crisis.
Before social media and 24 hour media spin cycle, all that we are experiencing was experienced by union members.
And, though the economic depression we are now in, is unprecedented in US history, and will certainly inflict great suffering on our members, perhaps greater, as one wise blogger said here, than the 1970s crisis, we should focus on how we organize support for all of our members. This is not easy to do because texting and emailing and talking on phones and blogging is not sufficient. In fact, this is what the UFT/AFT will do and I say it is counter productive. Our union, the UFT, and we can include the AFT too, is not well fitted to fight for us.This is obvious enough. They are not an organizing union. This has been discussed here on this blog for ever. And I've read these discussions and agreed with most of what has been said. But critics and critiques even honest, constructive ones, and I believe that James is such a critic, are not so much needed now.
This is not the time to talk of what our union has failed to do, and it has failed us sure, what it has done that has harmed our members, what it should have done. Now is the time for action. We need to prepare to hit the streets. We will need to occupy. When the plague lifts we need to take it to the streets. We can't waste our solidarity on belaboring the Bread and Butter days.
in Solidarity,
Shelley
The finger pointing, the one-upmanship, even by our Mayor and Governor, our leaders and organizers, in the middle of a major crisis, and the social-media fake and counter fake news, the baiting and debating about union dues, the anger and anxiety and madness, the sadness for our lost loved ones, our brothers and sisters who've died working, the dismemberment of union membership by members ... all this is not unique to the current crisis.
Before social media and 24 hour media spin cycle, all that we are experiencing was experienced by union members.
And, though the economic depression we are now in, is unprecedented in US history, and will certainly inflict great suffering on our members, perhaps greater, as one wise blogger said here, than the 1970s crisis, we should focus on how we organize support for all of our members. This is not easy to do because texting and emailing and talking on phones and blogging is not sufficient. In fact, this is what the UFT/AFT will do and I say it is counter productive. Our union, the UFT, and we can include the AFT too, is not well fitted to fight for us.This is obvious enough. They are not an organizing union. This has been discussed here on this blog for ever. And I've read these discussions and agreed with most of what has been said. But critics and critiques even honest, constructive ones, and I believe that James is such a critic, are not so much needed now.
This is not the time to talk of what our union has failed to do, and it has failed us sure, what it has done that has harmed our members, what it should have done. Now is the time for action. We need to prepare to hit the streets. We will need to occupy. When the plague lifts we need to take it to the streets. We can't waste our solidarity on belaboring the Bread and Butter days.
in Solidarity,
Shelley
Lol. De blasio just said to sharpton that he is giving out 300k ipads from apple and they are going to students who have been treated unfairly by society. Wow.
Carranza mentioned on twitter that he sent a message to all DOE employees. Schools are CLOSED. De Blasio and Carranza are not backing down.....
Sharon Nearby, 52, a 6th-grade English teacher at IS 24 in Staten Island, died April 4 after a week in Staten Island University Hospital, spending her last days on a ventilator. Her husband and twin 14-year-old daughters could not be at her side.
Susan Edelman
@SusanBEdelman
·
13m
Jeff Nearby believes his wife contracted the virus on March 12 or 13, when teachers conducted parent conferences remotely amid the outbreak. Teachers worked together in the rooms making the calls. Sharon later learned a teacher in her room had tested positive.
Notice that chalkbeat asked about extending the school year (and I think in a follow-up or as part of the main question, about maintaining test scores). It is worth remembering that this is still a pro-charter school organization that functions as a news outlet.
Carranza said everything is on the table.
Hey Shelley, Are you seriously expecting teachers who put their lives in jeopardy by being so afraid of DOE-UFT that they went to work in infected schools in March are going to hit the streets? Please answer. I know one guy here calls them New York's dumbest. In reality they are New York's Weakest and Meekist.
@6:22 PM - Thank you for sharing this. Very sad that this could have been avoided. It is unimaginable that her twins have to grow up without her - Sharon Nearby. Many went back into the schools during staff development for remote learning. I did not go in and am happy that I did not. May everyone stay safe and healthy.
A new article in the post says Carranza is starting "Operation Graduation," in which they will do everything possible to make sure Seniors graduate and that other students get their credits. He also said we need to "take advantage of a crisis." I don't thing any school should get a graduation rate recorded as we know they're all going to be inflated exponentially.
@7:16 PM - I did not go in and took religious observation. I would hit the street in unity with fellow educators.
Ummmm, this is the part that makes me nervous:
"Question about summer school. De Blasio replied that we don't know what the summer will bring. We have to get out of this phase of the pandemic. We don't want a resurgence of the virus. Chancellor said there is optimism and realism. Optimistic view to have buildings open for summer. Realistic view is schools will be remotely open in summer. Working on making sure District 75 students have their needs met."
Are you sure he's talking about Summer school, as in what we think of as Summer school and not Summer school as in we all keep working into the Summer?
NYC launches ‘Operation Graduation’ to pass as many kids as possible amid coronavirus
By Susan Edelman
April 11, 2020 | 6:19pm
They call it “Operation Graduation:” NYC educrats thinking up creative ways to graduate as many high school seniors as possible in a school year fractured by the coronavirus crisis.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Saturday he will shutter all school buildings through June, a decision immediately challenged by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who insists he makes such decisions under a state of emergency.
But Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza has already begun rallying his troops to salvage the graduation rate, which was 77.3 percent through August last year, and to pass younger students on to the next grade.
“We’re going to have to make big decisions in the upcoming weeks regarding promotions and graduations,” Carranza told a webinar for Brooklyn principals last week, one note-taking attendee told The Post. “We need to start to think how are we going to justify promotions and graduations.”
“Never waste a good crisis,” the chancellor told the school leaders.
“We need to rethink the way we grade students. Maybe we should should grade them on a pass/fail basis, whether they master the material or not, instead of with traditional grades.”
Carranza kept repeating this mantra: “Flexibility and patience.”
A Bronx elementary school teacher said the writing is on the wall: “We’re under the impression that we’re passing everyone if schools are going to be closed for the rest of the year.”
That means letting some students — those who don’t log on for remote instruction, don’t pay attention or don’t do the work — off the hook, teachers told The Post.
The city Department of Education has Fed-exed about 70,000 iPads to students, leaving some 200,000 kids still lacking devices and/or Wifi, spokeswoman Miranda Barbot said Saturday. The DOE aims to deliver the rest “by the end of the month,” she said.
With many students still without online access, others playing online hooky, state standardized exams canceled and the Regents exams waived, the pass rates are likely to soar.
High school administrators have begun citing “Operation Graduation” in emails to colleagues.
"There’s no justification to fail the student if you haven’t done successful outreach to the parent. The kids and their parents just have to not answer the phone and, voila, they pass,” the teacher said.
“We are getting reports of groups of our most troubled kids hanging out in the streets, drinking, smoking weed, fighting. But these kids are going on the ‘Operation Graduation’ lists.”
“My students can get away with doing virtually nothing,” a Manhattan teacher said. “I have just a few kids that do a majority of the work.”
Students click “turn in” to attach a competed assignment, but often nothing is attached.
“A lot of times they hit ‘turn in’ and we never actually get the assignment,” the teacher said.
Some students or parents tell staff they have no WiFi, the teacher said. But the same kids are “posting on social media all the time,” classmates snitch.
Wow. I guess I should've expected this. Where is waiting4support? More free grades?
So why are we doing all this work? If everyone MUST pass why are we doing all this garbage. I'm not passing everyone.
@10:16 pm: I'm here.
For anyone with any sense of morality, dignity, and a little intelligence, being a NYC school teacher is a lose-lose profession. You can either spend your energy fighting the sham, resisting the imposed fraudulence, trying to teach, being honest with your students, but losing ground all the time or you can swallow your pride, play your part in the sham, sell your soul, whistle dixie, and just move along like it was a great sunny day during a hurricane.
@6:58 am: i agree with you. I would also add integrity. One alone can't do much but a group can do much. Happy Easter.
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