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I want to have all my schools-during-COVID writing in one place so figured I'd put it all here. So, THREAD.
It starts in March when I call for schools to close. Other countries had closed & it made no sense that my husband had stopped going to work yet my kids were still in school. I'd soon learn that making sense was no longer a thing that should be expected. https://nypost.com/2020/03/13/for-the-love-of-god-mr-mayor-close-nycs-schools/
I should also note, because we live in an absurd time where you're for or against, good or bad, "believe" in COVID or not believe, that in mid-Feb I told everyone to prepare for a lockdown and buy toilet paper. I took COVID very seriously. https://twitter.com/karol/status/1232381281440354305
By end of March, it's clear that remote learning was...not working. https://nypost.com/2020/03/29/remote-learning-is-turning-out-to-be-a-burden-for-parents/
In April, the mayor announces school is closed for the rest of the year (the governor briefly pushes back that it's HIS decision but then makes the same decision, a hallmark of the time) but remote learning continues to suck. https://nypost.com/2020/04/12/bill-de-blasio-needs-to-fix-remote-learning-to-keep-kids-out-of-school/
In May, Gov. Cuomo finally, finally, releases his reopening plan. Schools are in phase 4! This follows Cuomo saying "All across the city, all across the state, all these buildings, all these physical classrooms. Why? With all the technology you have?" https://nypost.com/2020/05/10/no-gov-cuomo-no-please-dont-reopen-schools-last/
It's a really bad sign that there was so little pushback at that point to both Cuomo's comment about physical buildings as well as sticking schools in phase 4. Forget his complacent media, where were the outraged parents? It's scary how little education matters.
The NYC Schools Chancellor actually said "“Never waste a good crisis to transform a system" and has tried to use the Coronavirus crises to do exactly that. In late May, I wrote about how his obsession with destroying good schools is openly on display now. https://nypost.com/2020/05/27/richard-carranza-is-obsessed-with-destroying-good-schools/
This one is not schools specific but in June I wrote about how casually we took away every thing that would matter to kids and how nonsensical it all was. Like they closed parks but opened streets alongside them. It was crazy. https://nypost.com/2020/06/07/our-leaders-ignore-the-high-price-kids-are-paying-for-lockdowns/
Toward the end of June, the school opening in September was already looking like a disaster. Gov. Cuomo was on his COVID victory tour and parents were being asked to choose between their job and their kid. https://nypost.com/2020/06/29/new-york-to-parents-choose-your-job-or-your-kids/
In July, they finally announce that schools will open on a part-time basis in September. Parents, still expected to work on a full-time basis, were out of luck. No science was involved in this decision. https://nypost.com/2020/07/08/new-yorks-school-decision-a-slap-in-the-face-to-parents/
Right after this decision, anyone with means moved directly to finding a tutor for their kid to form a "pod." I was pissed about this. https://spectator.us/children-lesser-pod-schools-coronavirus Parents should do what's best for their kid but maybe speak up for others who can't do this? Again, no science involved.
NY spends over $25k per kid. When schools don't open, that money must be returned to parents to spend how they'd like on the education of their kids. Letting the schools keep those funds and spending additional money on a pod tutor is height of privilege. https://spectator.us/children-lesser-pod-schools-coronavirus
In July, people started realizing many NY'ers are not planning to come back. A giant part of that is no full-time school. I know plenty of people still living outside NYC and doing remote schooling. I'd love to see updated numbers on how many people left. https://nypost.com/2020/07/26/how-to-bring-new-york-citys-refugees-and-middle-class-back-home
It's the end of Aug. Is the Schools Chancellor focused on getting schools open on 9/10? No, he's not, he's focused on making sure that no one finds out what a catastrophe of learning NYC schools are experiencing. https://nypost.com/2020/08/30/carranza-wants-to-use-covid-19-as-excuse-to-kill-standardized-tests
Oh hey, guess what, it's early September and schools aren't opening on time. The teachers union has put kids last again and the mayor has complied. https://nypost.com/2020/09/05/de-blasio-doe-and-teachers-union-are-failing-nyc-school-kids/
