This past Monday marked the beginning of online instruction for New York City’s public school students as schools have closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a press conference that day, Mayor Bill De Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza discussed the impact of this shift in education from the classroom to the chatroom.
“Today is day one of a new reality for the 1.1 million students and families in New York City. And although these days are uncertain and, at times, frightening, we must all pay attention to the work of our administrators, staff, teachers and families,” Carranza said.
“We had chat rooms where students and their teachers were reconnecting. I saw evidence of kindergarten teachers that sang songs with their students on a video classroom…Teachers are making use of the professional learning opportunities that are being offered multiple times throughout the day and throughout the week.”
Meanwhile, City Council Education Committee Chair Mark Treyger (D-Bensonhurst, Coney Island, Gravesend, Sea Gate) told Kings County Politics about some of the challenges with the rollout. He acknowledged that a number of students do not have access to computers or internet connections, but expressed a desire to fix that issue. “Thousands of students still do not have a device for remote learning. There are equity issues with remote learning that I’m monitoring and watching closely,” Treyger said.
“I also know there are a number of children in our school system who are in the foster care system where the school community is their only sense of stability and many children rely on schools to be their sanctuary. As a former teacher and Chair of the Council’s Education Committee, I plan to follow-up with the DOE to ensure every student has access to remote learning programming.”
He then promoted the use of Regional Enrichment Centers to educate preschoolers. “The RECs were set-up to provide the children of healthcare workers, transit workers, first responders, DOE Staff, ACS frontline workers, DOC essential staff, DHS and HRA shelter staff, and DSNY sanitation essential staff locations to send their children to school and also serve as childcare sites,” Treyger explained.
“It’s a bit more challenging to keep 3, 4, and 5-year-olds a safe distance apart, but these are vital resource centers that will assist our hero workers during the coronavirus crisis.”
As for students whose only meals have been from their school cafeterias, Treyger asserted that a solution is in place. “Before the schools shut down, I advocated for closing most public schools and using the rest to serve at-risk students and families who rely on them to meet basic health needs to handle the coronavirus crisis,” he said.
“There are now over 400 school sites available for parents and guardians to pick up, grab and go meals daily and up to three free meals a day for students of any age. I’ve been told by the DOE that they are serving thousands of meals a day to students and families in need. I’ll continue to ensure that food insecurity does not impede the daily lives of our students.”
