Treyger introduces Bill to Require Learning Attendance Data
Council Member Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend) introduced a bill last week to receive data from the NYC Department of Education (DOE) on school attendance records when remote learning is utilized and a resolution calling for the delay of reopening schools for in-person instruction until student and school staff safety concerns are addressed.
The bill, Intro 2058, is co-sponsored by Public Advocate Jumanne Williams, would require the DOE to provide weekly mandated reports on student attendance data when remote learning is utilized fully or combined with in-person learning.
“COVID-19 has impacted every single person in this city, but its impacts have not been evenly felt. Inequities in remote learning mirror inequities in the spread of COVID-19. In order to know how much support is needed for our students and educators, we need data that illustrates the gaps. Additional specific data on remote learning participation is the only effective way to acknowledge the problem and allocate resources where necessary to eliminate gaps of inequity,” said Treyger. “We need to ensure that every student is receiving a high-quality education, whether in-person or remote, so that vulnerable student populations are not left behind.”
The data would be required to be disaggregated by the school, school district, grade, race, individualized education plan status, multilingual language learner status and English language learner status. The report would be submitted to the Mayor, the Speaker of the Council, the Public Advocate, the School Diversity Advisory Group, all Community Education Councils and it would be posted on the DOE’s website. Intro 2058 was assigned to the Committee on Education and awaits a hearing.
Rose Wants Sackler Removed from MET
U.S. Rep. Max Rose (D-Southern Brooklyn, Staten Island) wants the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the MET) to remove the Sackler family name from its halls.
The MET has previously announced it would no longer accept money from the Sackler family, but has denied removing their name from the museum. The Sackler family and Purdue Pharma are being sued by the State of New York and 23 other states, but the lawsuit has been on hold since October as the company goes through Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
“The Sackler family name is tainted by the blood of hundreds of thousands who have died from the opioid epidemic,” Rose said. “Their fortune was made on death and addiction only to be philanthropically funneled through institutions like the Met to try and burnish their name. It’s past time to send a clear message that the Sackler family is not to be celebrated by anyone, anywhere.
“As the MET reopens its doors to New Yorkers and families across the country, we cannot ignore the harm that the Sackler family has invoked on the men and women of our city,” wrote Rose in a letter to Daniel Weiss, CEO of the MET. “I denounce the display of this family’s name in any public space. We should not be honoring this family; they should be defamed for the pain they’ve caused. By allowing the Sackler name to remain visible for all to see, we validate the history of fraudulent behavior by this massive franchise. I ask that you strongly consider this change.”
Adams Joined with Precinct on Gun Issues
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams joined yesterday with the 70th Precinct Interfaith Clergy Council in association with the 67th, 69th, and 71st Precinct Clergy Councils and East Flatbush Village Inc. to conduct an Occupy The Corner Shooting Response Rally.
The event came as shootings throughout the city have skyrocketed, particularly in certain areas of Brooklyn, including Flatbush. During the rally, participants will march to seven sites where people have been shot in recent days and pay tribute to the victims.
Colton’s Outraged at Mismanagement of Garbage
Assemblyman William Colton (Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, and Dyker Heights) is disgusted with the city administration for its mismanagement of garbage.
“Monday morning, a constituent came to my office with a complaint about a significant amount of garbage, like soiled clothes, black garbage bags, cardboard boxes, and so on, at West 7 Street and Avenue T in Brooklyn. My office contacted the sanitation department by e-mail notifying them of the hazardous condition and the response was unbelievable, ‘We will dispatch an officer to investigate and address the condition once resources become available.'” said Colton.
“Mayor De Blasio was elected into the office to keep our city safe and clean, and it looks that he is doing the opposite. He defunded NYPD. He doesn’t have a detailed plan to keep schools clean and safe for the upcoming school year, and on top of it, he reduced the budget for litter basket service citywide by 63% compared to last year. The reductions are equivalent to an effective headcount loss of 400+ sanitation workers. During hot summer days and the COVID-19 crisis, he eliminated funding for litter basket collections. This is unacceptable.
“The Mayor is claiming that there is a deficit and the city is facing a budget crisis. Ironically his wife, Chirlane McCray, enjoys a $2,000.000 budget for staff during the NYC budget crisis, which represents almost double of last year and this is despite the fact that the city is facing a layoff of 22,000 city workers. I haven’t seen such chaos in NYC for over 30 years. It has become very clear that the city is mismanaged under Mayor De Blasio’s administration,” Colton added.
