Monday, December 14, 2020

REMOTE PRINCIPAL DIRECTS D75 KIDS TO EAT LUNCH IN CROWDED CAFETERIA

This Daily News story deeply troubled me.

A Brooklyn principal is under investigation for allegedly instructing roughly 150 teens and adults to eat lunch together in the cafeteria rather than their individual classrooms, flouting school COVID safety guidance and potentially putting students and staff at risk, The Daily News has learned.

Dozens of staff and students Thursday morning crowded into the school cafeteria at the Connie Lekas School for students with complex disabilities in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, under the orders of Principal Antoinette Rose, according to staff accounts and photos — contrary to Education Department guidance instructing schools to serve meals in classrooms whenever possible.

The quarters were too tight to maintain 6 feet of distance, staffers say, and students — some of whom have medical and respiratory conditions that put them at higher risk from the virus — were mostly maskless in order to eat, staffers say.

“A lot of them [the students] are medically fragile, a lot of them have asthma, have respiratory problems that would cause them to be high risk, and they were put in a very risky situation,” said one staffer who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.

There wasn’t enough space to socially distance,” said Ilyana Frias, an Education Department paraprofessional and union representative for the school, who said she received a flood of angry calls from staffers after the lunch debacle.

The principal's motivation was that she wanted to serve a hot meal to the kids which is only available in a cafeteria but without social distancing, this was not legally possible. What I really can't comprehend is the teachers who complied with the principal's directive. They knew they were putting the health and safety of themselves and the students at risk and complied with her directive anyway. The principal wasn't even there. Back to the Daily News:

Adding to the outrage of some staffers: Rose works remotely, and the principal didn’t have to bear the risk of her decision, staffers say.

She wasn't in the building and people still wouldn't defy her orders.

Further down:

As soon as school officials announced the plan Thursday morning to hold a group lunch in the cafeteria, staffers — who were accustomed to serving lunch in their individual classrooms — were skeptical.

“I was shocked when I heard there was going to be lunch in the cafeteria,” said one staffer.

“And then when I was in the cafeteria it was even more shocking,” the staffer added.

Teachers were initially told to seat students at every other table. But as kids and staff began flooding in, it became clear there wasn’t enough room, the staffer said.

“As everyone started pouring in it was pretty obvious there was not enough space to skip tables,” the employee recalled. “There wasn’t a lot of social distancing happening. A lot of the students weren’t wearing masks” because they were eating, the staffer added.

The follow-up question that I have to ask:

Why the hell didn't you just leave that cafeteria immediately and take your students with you when you saw it was crowded?

Are teachers that beaten down by the DOE-UFT that they will just listen to a principal no matter what and put their own health and the health of their students at risk? Screaming later is not good enough. 

Mulgrew did respond after the fact:

"This principal should be removed,” said United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew.

“The health and safety protocols that need to be followed are crystal clear. This should have never happened.”

I will say again: If you don't feel a situation is safe in a building for you and/or your students, get the hell out of there immediately and worry about any consequences to your career later. Your health comes before your job and so does the health of the students.


I will make the point again not to go in if you don't feel a building is safe. Kids do spread COVID-19. 




59 comments:

Anonymous said...

But they will keep going in.
And keep paying dues.
Because the uft is fighting for you.
Tell me if I should laugh or cry.

Anonymous said...

The teachers must be the absolute dumbest...

Anonymous said...

To answer your question: Yes, teachers are that afraid of many principals. These psychopaths hold the careers of untenured teachers in the palms of their hands. Make no mistake, covid or no covid, the reign of terror from admins will continue as normal.

Anonymous said...

Wait a minute, another complaint about the uft? Im shocked.

Anonymous said...

Principal will get a slap on wrist or removed and put in tweed with less responsibility and higher salary.

Anonymous said...

According to the mayor, this is in person school success.

It's 7 pm....i deserve to know where im expected to be working in twelve hours???

Anonymous said...

My principal and admin are doing everything they can to find out whether or not our recently closed
@NYCSchools
will reopen tomorrow. The Situation Room still has no answer. This is so disrespectful on many levels.

Anonymous said...

These teachers are just as bad to go along with it. Where was their UFT rep in all of this? You need to worry more about yourself than your students. I can't believe her pathetic excuse, because she wanted them to get a hot meal. I've said it once and I'll say it again, principals are stupid!

Anonymous said...

Stay the fuck home you stupid idiots.

Anonymous said...

And another...3 days after bringing more students back, covid positive student ... i have a headache and sore throat ... home waiting ...hoping I didn’t pass it to my mother ( metastatic lung cancer) or my husband aortic aneurysm

Anonymous said...

Full shutdown but more schools opening? So confused.

Anonymous said...

And stay the fuck home you idiots. Shut the system down.

Anonymous said...

Agree, stay home you asshole sheep.

J said...

Check your email for along and racist email from carranza.

Anonymous said...

Are dues payers listening?

127* schools closed tomorrow. 14.46% of the 878 schools that reopened last week ago closed yet again tomorrow because of #COVID19 cases in those schools. CLOSE
@NYCSchools
already! This isn't safe!

12/8: 5 schools closed
12/9: 10
12/10: 29
12/11: 58
12/13: 83
12/14: 127

Anonymous said...

Sheep will follow the herd even if it’s over a cliff. Ms. Rose is not a shepherd, (or principal) and should be removed immediately. Self preservation should always take precedence over fear in a thinking adult. Fear is a protection mechanism and these staff members ignored it. I hate to say this, but those teachers should be severely reprimanded also - they are supposed to acting as de facto parents and protecting their charges - especially the disabled. Fear should always motivate you. I don’t see that with teachers. In my younger days I had to fight a lot. Almost every guy I ever fought I was scared of, but won. The one guy I wasn’t afraid of nearly killed me. Perhaps those teachers weren’t afraid and a lesson has to be taught.

Anonymous said...

Did it ever occur to any of you that Bill De Blasio is a liar, a moron and a sadistic bigot?

Unknown said...

TEACHGERS DON'T GO IN! USE YOUR BRAINS. YOU KNPW IT ISNT SAFE ALL OTHER LARGE DISTRICTS ARE NOY GOING IN SO THEY R NOT GOING TO FIRE YOU. THINK FOR YOURSELVES

Anonymous said...

An interesting, approximately 19-minute video message from the Superintendent and others in the Los Angeles Unified School District:

https://achieve.lausd.net/latestnews

Anonymous said...

As an ATR who recently was asked to cover a remote class for a teacher on leave teaching a subject out of license, I can honestly say remote learning is not nearly as bad as people made it out to be. The kids can still get an education. We need to hold kids accountable. If you’re 12, set an alarm and make your classes and participate in the chat. The worksheets are posted and easy to follow.

Having said all this, I don’t understand why all NYC schools or schools on LI are not completely remote for winter. We should not be killing the restaurant industry. Yes, restaurants are more important than in person schools for a few students. They provide income for people. Remote learning still allows families to learn.

Restaurants are not reason for outbreaks. Home gatherings are.

So, 150 kids can eat in a cafeteria in school but not a restaurant? Nonsense!

De blasio, mulgrew should be ashamed for reopening. Are they that afraid of a parent’s group?

Anonymous said...

They were in fear. The fear to disobey their principal overrode their fear for safety. It’s insane to think that we work in a system that has created that type of situation.

Anonymous said...

THE SHOCK, THE HORROR!

Anonymous said...

Those teachers should be held accountable for nothing. It’s ALL on the principal.

Anonymous said...

That just following orders defense didn't work too well for the Nazis now did it?

Anonymous said...

12;26 here. So fear of the principal took precedence over personal safety and the safety of those students? From a principal that was remote? The only time I can remember that kind of behavior modification is when Pavlov rang the bell for his dogs over the phone and they still salivated. This is the reverse of that application - negative reinforcement, of course. Dogs and sheep - I can understand, but people, especially teachers, shouldn’t act in such a mindless way. What a disgusting system! One person’s bad judgement was agreed to in action, complaining afterwards is truly a spineless exercise. Since these teachers brought attention to their mindless adherence to orders, in which they endangered themselves and their charges, they should be reprimanded along with their Pavlovian principal. If teachers are too afraid to make simple moral choices like that, then they shouldn’t be in schools, especially now.

Anonymous said...

Working people have been screwed over for so long in this country that these are the kinds of decisions they are left to make. The judgement, and criticism, should not be levied on them though. Instead, we should put this criticism upon the systems that create it, and the leaders that enable it.

Anonymous said...

Sheep are born to be sheared and eventually slaughtered. Sounds like the cafeteria is exactly where these teachers belong. Baaaa. Yes, James, they’ve allowed themselves to be beaten down. They’re volunteers not victims. Where’s the outrage for putting brown/black children at risk? There is none. BLM....unless you’re a student or teacher in a nyc school, then no one cares about your black life. Not even the most progressive democrat mayor nyc has ever had. Not one peep from any democrat. DeBlasio and AOC agree with Trump. Schools should be open and running as usual without social distancing. Good to know DeBlasio and AOC have no problem with it too. They’re finally coming out of the closet and proving they’ve agreed with Trump all along. Next thing ya know, they’ll be chanting build the wall and lock her up.

Bronx ATR said...

11:12, The judgement and criticism should not be levied against them? Think that statement through to its logical conclusion. If this principal told those teachers to jump out the window with their students who would be responsible? Each teacher there made a decision that they knew was wrong, in that they complained about it after the fact. Teachers aren’t dogs, sheep or slaves. They are human with inalienable rights. They don't have to allow others or a system to take those rights away. Even Mulgrew, with the morals of a Tom cat in heat and the spine of a jellyfish, seems to marginally recognize that fact in this case. What he doesn’t seem to understand is that allowing teachers into open schools is tantamount to what happened in this instance. Teachers need to start thinking for themselves and stay home.

Anonymous said...

The Hitler ordered me to do it defense does not fly here like it did not at Nuremberg.

Anonymous said...

No big deal. stay home you idiots.

In essence,
@NYCMayor
plans to murder NYC school teachers with coronavirus, the
@UFT
is MIA:
Quote Tweet
rbe
@perdidostschool
· 21m
@NYCMayor plans to shut down the entire city after Christmas - except for public schools:

https://gothamist.com/news/schools-update-public-school-parents-and-faculty-sue-nyc-over-mandatory-covid-19-testing

Anonymous said...

Where's the fucking
@UFT
?

Hey
@UFTUnity
, you want to keep your fucking gravy train going? Try stepping in here!

Rank/file need to know, the June opt-out period is coming...
Quote Tweet
olga foroga
@troublewolf19
· 9m
Replying to @perdidostschool and @NYCMayor
127 schools closed for at least 24 hours as of today, and the situation room admitting that they can’t keep up with cases. And not a single soul cares.

Anonymous said...

"New York City’s public schools will stay open even if the rest of the city shuts down to combat increasing coronavirus rates, Mayor Bill de Blasio vowed at his Tuesday press briefing."
rbe
@perdidostschool
·
30m
While acknowledging that the final call to keep schools open is up to Governor Cuomo, de Blasio said he believed the city’s schools -- of which only 3K, elementary and District 75 schools are currently open for in-person learning -- are “the safest places in New York City."

Anonymous said...

Hi Teachers, I just wanted you to know that student brought her ipad in to school today for repair. She is hoping this will help enable her to catch up in classes.

Um, student is a no show. Where was this guidance counselor all term? No, the student cannot catch up.

Anonymous said...

Wow, sounds like everyone should keep paying dues. Sounds like everyone wants more of the same. Happy?

Anonymous said...

Dozens of fed-up NYPD cops leave for Long Island departments
By Larry Celona and Aaron FeisDecember 15, 2020 | 1:59pm | Updated

When will teachers wake up?

Anonymous said...

So DeBlasio announced the ‘end of snow days’—assuming all school closures would be replaced by remote learning during storms—as he assumes remote learning has legitimate value as an adequate learning replacement for on-site.
So, now the only way school learning would be canceled would have to be called an ‘Outage Day’ that includes — at least an 8 hour daytime total breakdown of all citywide internet service carriers from about 8am to 4am —and that can happen on the nicest of days.

Anonymous said...

This story proves teachers need anti-cult therapy. If principals ordered some teachers to jump out the windows and send the students out too, some of them would do it. There are no morals left for some. It is just bowing to the principal like she is the empress. I thought many teachers were sheep or rats. This kind of seals the deal.

Anonymous said...

Your walking the streets to get to your school and before you enter you witness dead bodys on the ground, urine filled streets, broken store windows and people locked in their houses. You hear the sound of sirens every five minutes or so. As you round the corner you see a faint light. Its the only place open. Its your school. What a relief knowing its the safest place in new york city. Only 20 percent tested but its safe.Some kids dont need to give consent but its safe. Tracers testing the same kids over and over again but its safe. Asshole principles working remotely but yet sending teachers into unsafe conditions but its safe. As your dying on the floor and hanging on to your last breath you see Milldew putting one hand on your shoulder and the other hand in your pocket grabbing your last union dues.

Anonymous said...

The mayor is such a schmuck. He's telling parents that he will update tomorrow at 6 p.m. about if school is in session Thursday. Seriously? You know it's going to be a blizzard conditions. I can't with him. The uft can play with him without my dues next year. They have proven they dont give a shit about me.

Anonymous said...

Nice job, uft. A reminder that many old schools rely on open windows as their main source for ventilation. Temps are dropping & the wind chill will be even colder during snow. This is not education. This is an irresponsible and unsafe attempt at crisis management. They have no plan for winter.

Anonymous said...

Lol. Sounds like that $62 a check is really working for all of you.

Anonymous said...

Time for NYC teachers to leave the
@UFT
and start a union that actually responds to rank and file concerns.

That de Blasio plans to close the entire city but keep schools opened and the UFT has not vowed to fight the move tells you all you need to know about UFT leaders.

Anonymous said...

In essence,
@NYCMayor
plans to murder NYC school teachers with coronavirus, the
@UFT
is MIA:

Anonymous said...

All day, 3rd MP started, no shows asking what they can do to pass. Where are the rules? I thought they needed mastery.

TJL said...

5:36 Just give legit assignments no one can do without coming to class. Then they have to show. And if they don't, they won't pass. Easy.
Also there's no rule that says you have to accept late work in perpetuity or without penalty.

Anonymous said...

Amazing now many here, including James, couldn't care less about the children of NYC. And shame on you James for hosting such a disgraceful blog for NYC teachers to display what lousey people they are.

Anonymous said...

In order to put an end to snow days that means every teacher would have to set up google classrooms at the beginning of every year from now on. Unless there is a change to the contract that ain’t happening. Also , let kids have a fucking snow day. Deblasio is a ragging asshole.

Anonymous said...

Anon 3:43 If a principal orders a teacher to jump out of window—the teacher’s reply would be-‘Not again’.

James Eterno said...

Many of us do care and would never allow anyone to place kids or ourselves in such a situation as happened last week. We want kids and adults to be safe.

Anonymous said...

Wow, so deep.

Anonymous said...

TJL,

Guidance says they can show up whenever and hand in the work forever. This is the problem. Students who have 0% attendance are showing up for the first time now. How can they pass missing 70% of the term, at least? When is it too late? Then admin gives the same line, yeah, start going, you can do it. Then they say there is no DOE attendance policy.

TJL said...

So, 6:15, James is supposed to close up shop so the only source for Union news is New York Pravda ... er ... Teacher?

You don't think students along with teachers would've been better off with James running things instead of Randi?

Anonymous said...

Again, the working class is cornered into these terrible decisions. Independent thought is tragically not a prevalent characteristic of our working culture. To break the cycle, it isn't wise to beat those that are down. Solidarity with the working class against the system that exploits them would be more effective. This is something an effective union should already be doing. Instead, it too is part of a system that exploits hard working people. Always move to lift the morale of workers. And always work to lift the least of these amongst us.

Anonymous said...

6:15: Giving kids passing grades for doing nothing does not show you care about kids. It only shows you feel sorry for them and believe they are not capable of doing any better. Don't make an assumption that teachers don't care about kids. We care and that's why we get angry. The ones who don't care about them are the ones going along with their administrators.

On a side note, our principal told our staff that the reason kids aren't coming to class is because they feel they aren't being challenged. Of course this is based solely on his own theory. He never asked the kids. This is just so he takes the blame off of himself.

Anonymous said...

hey 6:15 why do you think we are here because we do care about the kids. You sound like a principal or a kissass newbee.

Bronx ATR said...

Rationalizing these teachers behavior isn’t helping anyone. They betrayed their duty and themselves. I understand why, but it doesn’t mitigate it or make it ok. I don’t think it’s ok to condone this because of fear or morale - these teachers reported their principal after they followed her orders - but did they understand their actions were wrong? Obviously not. That’s a big problem.

TJL said...

8:05 I get the same thing. The key is someone can't fail *solely* due to attendance. But if you have work or a quiz that is due at the end of class, or for that matter, assign work that can't possibly be done at the last minute en masse in a matter of a couple hours, then it takes care of itself.

Anonymous said...

11:12 The system can function only when the plebes do the dirty work. So the blame rests at their feet. A principal can yell out millions of insane orders but the insanity can only take place when weak sheepish teachers carry out the insane orders. I have no sympathy for these cowards. Maybe the principal should make them clean the toilets too. They deserve whatever abuse comes next. No parent outrage either. Their parents don’t even give a shit about them. No good parent. No good teacher. Kids are screwed.

Anonymous said...

I specifically write that work is due at end of period. I'm now having all the no shows come out of the woodwork and send me stuff 68 days late. Admin says it should be graded as if it were on time. But they never heard me speak, missed all class discussion...Doesn't matter. Kids say other teachers will still pass them. Teachers are the problem.