MULGREW EMAIL ON REOPENING BUILDINGS

Dear UFT Member,

We faced extraordinary challenges during the 2019–20 school year. UFT members were the driving force in ensuring that our school buildings closed in March to protect our school communities. And together, educators and families kept learning alive for students despite the fear and heartache the pandemic caused.

Now we must come together again for the next challenge: planning for the 2020-21 school year.

School buildings should only reopen in the fall — even on a limited basis — if the safety of students, staff and families is assured.

As much as we want to be back in our classrooms, we can reopen school buildings only if robust health and safety protocols and procedures are in place that protect all of us. We must not repeat the mistakes of last March. Our city has been through too much — we have been through too much — to go backward. Decisions about reopening school buildings must be based on medical evidence.

Educators in the Department of Education, the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators and the UFT will work closely together throughout the summer on plans for the new school year.

If we move ahead with a blended learning model, the DOE, the CSA and the UFT have agreed to adopt a citywide package of protocols relying on medical guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Every school would be required to adopt these protocols, and the DOE would supply the necessary materials, training and building upgrades necessary to meet these standards.

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

Staff and students will wear face coverings inside school buildings at all times.

The DOE will provide disposable masks for staff and students who do not have personal masks.

The DOE will provide additional PPE for staff whose interaction with students requires additional protection. For example, school nurses will be fit-tested for N95 masks, gloves, gowns and face shields.

Exceptions will be developmentally appropriate and will be paired with heightened PPE for staff and decreases in class size.

Medical accommodations for staff

The DOE is creating an online application for members to apply for medical accommodations to allow them to work from home.

The DOE will send school staff an email to their DOE email address by July 15 with instructions to complete the application and submit the required supporting documentation from a medical provider.

Social distancing

All schools will be mandated to follow CDC and state guidelines for social distancing.

Next week the DOE will share models for how schools can schedule students and staff for blended instruction — in-person and remote learning — consistent with the current guidelines.

Cleaning and disinfecting protocols

School custodial staff will be responsible for nightly deep cleanings.

School custodial staff will be required to clean touchpoints, such as door knobs and student desks, throughout the day and replenish supplies.

Every instructional and common space will be equipped with hand sanitizers and disinfectant spray.

Each school building will be equipped with upgraded cleaning equipment, including electrostatic sprayers found to be more effective in distributing disinfectant sprays.

School ventilation systems have been inspected and, if necessary, will be repaired.

Upgraded air filters are being installed.

Tracking and tracing COVID-19 cases

The city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will dedicate a team to respond to any suspected cases of COVID-19 in public schools.

This team will be responsible for notification, tracking, tracing and quarantining.

Parents may choose full-time remote learning

Families may register their children for 100% remote instruction. The mayor reported that about a quarter of parents who responded to the DOE family survey said they prefer that their children continue to learn from home every day.

Families do not need to meet any medical thresholds to choose full-time remote learning.

This afternoon, Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza briefed principals across the city on the results of the family and student survey, health and safety, the budget and the DOE’s guiding principles. That briefing was the first in a series of ongoing discussions.

See the DOE presentation to principals 

Many questions still need to be answered, but we will work on possible solutions together.

Our final decision about moving ahead in September depends upon medical and scientific assessments concerning the virus and its containment. The changing nature of these assessments means we must wait to make that decision closer to the first day of school even though we know that delay creates difficulties for parents and educators alike.

The planning process has not been easy, and there are no easy solutions for the challenges still ahead of us. As we prepare for the fall, the lessons from March are clear: educators and parents, not politicians, must drive these decisions.

Stay healthy and safe.

Sincerely,

Michael Mulgrew

UFT President