NYCDoE did not protect us in March – How can we trust them in September?
In March the NYC Department of Education violated protocols by not shutting schools with COVID-19 and cleaning them. They stifled reporting. They hid what was going on.
We knew that the NYC Department of Education unconscionably delayed closing schools – that was really bill de blasio. That’s not what I am writing about. That’s a policy disagreement (they were wrong).
I am writing about teachers reporting that they had confirmed COVID-19, and the DoE making up rules so they could pretend that the case was not properly confirmed, and keeping the schools open. They broke their own rules. And while an ultimate investigation might serve up a fall guy, that’s not what I care about right now. No, I care about September.
Because in September it is possible that our schools will, in one form or another, reopen. In September there will be rules in place to keep us safe. But how do we trust the DoE, who just two months ago broke rules and put lives at risk?
It’s not just here. The NEA just shared out this article from Texas: what do we do if they tell us to go in, but we are not safe?
Now, there is a UFT Delegate Assembly tomorrow. It is virtual, which will be weird. I don’t know if I would get called on if it were a live DA. But I am going to try.
I think, to help keep us safe, the Department of Education should have to show up, a real person – at a school where the staff/chapter think they are at risk. No more burying safety reports. No remote bureaucrat sending us in to get sick. Come in, explain that it is safe. We can use the UFT to monitor that CONTINUE READING: NYCDoE did not protect us in March – How can we trust them in September? | JD2718