One thing I think is getting lost in the mass of confusing & horrifying details about NYC's school reopening plans: attempting to recreate "normal" school in the context of a pandemic is educationally & developmentally inappropriate &, by definition, cannot be trauma-informed. 1/

Trying to open in-person stresses teachers & reduces their ability to be there for students the way they need. It requires strict safety measures that tilt the balance towards discipline & control. It puts the burden of virus control on very young children. 2/

The fiction of "normal" school creates academic demands that are unreasonable. Whether in-person or remote, we can't expect kids to learn in the same ways or on the same schedules as previously. We can't just shift the classroom to a screen. 3/

We need to slow down & allow way more time for learning & connections to emerge organically as teachers try to create new, caring communities. We need to allow time for when kids in the chat box are saying they go days w/o talking to someone or how they had Covid. 4/

Teachers need to have the freedom to stop whatever they are doing & respond to the needs that kids are expressing in that moment. Instead, they are under pressure to "get through" the material they are scheduled to present b/c we've created this fiction of normalcy. 5/

@NYCSchools likes to talk about being trauma-informed, but their plans are creating more trauma. We need to go 100% remote & start over with a realistic discussion of what our priorities should be. As it stands, we're leaving everyone behind. 6/