After continuous pressure from parents, teachers and lawmakers, the decision to shut down all public schools in New York City has been finalized.
Mayor de Blasio announced Sunday evening that schools will be closed Monday, March 15 until after spring vacation till first attempts at re-opening on April 20 will commence.
“For anyone who is wondering why this has been such a difficult decision, it’s because I know the full cost of shutting our schools, and I know the negative ramifications,” lamented Mayor de Blasio.
It was only earlier Sunday morning when the mayor expressed his extreme hesitance to close NYC Public schools in an interview with CNN, I’m very reticent to shut down schools for a variety of reasons,” he said, “Not just because that’s where a lot of kids get their only good meals, where they get adult supervision, especially teenagers, who otherwise would be out on the streets”.
On the note about good meals, the mayor said that schools will be open for the remainder of the week for grab-and-go meals to those students who are reliant on them.
The heat from lawmakers all around New York City must have trumped the mayor’s concerns because it was only a couple hours later when the shutdown became official.
Governor Cuomo said in a New York Times interview earlier Sunday that he, “believed all New York City schools to be closed, period”, and announced that Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk schools will close this week in an effort to limit the spread of novel coronavirus as well.
United Federation of Teachers president Michael Mulgrew sent out a letter early Sunday morning condemning Mayor de Blasio’s original decision to keep schools open and demanded that he shut the schools immediately.
“The administration has made the right decision – closing the schools is a critical step to reduce the spread of the virus and to help preserve the health of our students, their families and our staff,” Mulgrew said of the recent decision.
Adding gasoline to the fire of whether to close down NYC schools were many Congressional members including Brooklyn lawmakers Yvette Clarke (D-Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Kensington, Midwood, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Park Slope), Max Rose (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville, Canarsie, East New York, East Flatbush)) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville, Canarsie, East New York, East Flatbush).
Together they issued a statement to the mayor saying that, “With over 1.1 million children enrolled in New York City’s public schools, closing the schools is the most reliable method available to ensure the health and safety of New York children and families.”
Comptroller Scott Stringer also jumped on the bandwagon via twitter, revealing his support for a school-shut down with a tweet that read, “As Comptroller and as a public school parent, I am painfully aware of the consequences these actions will have: on families who depend on schools for critical services and on the livelihoods of New Yorkers. But the consequences of not acting will be even more devastating.”
He commended the resolution to shut public schools for the time being, noting that NYC must turn their attention to the concerns of the school communities and those who are directly affected by the school shut-down.
Meanwhile, Borough President Eric Adams is focusing on helping the displaced students by joining with Sussman Education to promote awareness of online educational tools amidst the shutdown.
“It is imperative that we have an infrastructure in place to ensure academic continuity for students who are learning remotely,” Adams said.
Sussman Education represents a diverse group of publishers and EdTech providers and is work with the Department of Education (DOE) to provide tools for online education access for students throughout the city, explained the Borough President.
“Putting these tools in place will ensure our education system is better prepared for similar crises going forward,” said Adams.
