My students are terrified & isolated in their rooms from their own sick parents, w/no choice but to step outside alone to get essential items. As a T who has been directly in touch w/~100 families in @NYCSchools, I have witnessed only fear & dread of being outside. 1/

Many of my Ss parents have communicated that they have no choice but to work. There's evidence of +movement in low-income zip codes for this very reason, BUT this must not be FALSELY equated w/irresponsibility. The equivalence is exploitation! https://tinyurl.com/StayingHomeLuxury 2/

Families & teachers working in partnership have moved to a place much darker than exhaustion. We are desperate to slow down, to grieve the loss of loved ones, to grieve our new reality. We're not asking to be thanked. We're asking for compassion, and for many, a lifeline. 3/

Until there is any evidence that #virtualbabysitting will significantly change the behaviors of @nycschools students, I trust only my own observations. 4/

I chose to make peace w/working April 13-17 for self preservation, but @NYCMayor @DOEChancellor's decision to take away religious holidays reads to me as cloaking a far darker #COVID19 reality, both currently & in the future (racially disaggregated data not yet released). 5/

Continuing to exploit the labor of the most vulnerable working families, and their teachers, will not save more lives in the long run. Instead of paying teachers to work over time, we should be using the $ to keep workers home, if even for a few additional days. 6/6