Editorial/Opinion .... Pages 12,13 Education

School

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No positive COVID rates in city schools at the end of last year. De Blasio said that the end of the last school year proved that the combination of ventilation, cleaning and other measures worked.

“We took every conceivable health and safety measure from around the world and used them all, creating the gold standard,” said the mayor.

When the AmNews contacted the Department of Education and the city about the lack of a remote option, we were directed to the mayor’s comments at the end of August on the protocols that’ll be used to keep students, faculty, and other school employees safe.

The protocol, via a guideline handbook, includes vaccinations for all education employees, consistent school maintenance, options for immunocompromised public school students and mandatory vaccinations for anyone participating in high contact Public School Athletics League (PSAL) sports that require people being up close.

The city also sent the AmNews a link to a story about Catholic schools reopening with a remote option.

All of this comes on the heels on a recent report by the Washington Post, which noted that not only were there more than 250,000 COVID cases among children ending the week of Sept. 2, but more than 25% of all cases were kids and teenagers.

“At this time, it appears that severe illness due to COVID-19 is uncommon among children,” read the report. “However, there is an urgent need to collect more data on longer-term impacts of the pandemic on children, including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects.

The 250,000 cases among children, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, marked the highest number since the pandemic began.

There’s been comparisons between the city and charter institutions like Success Academy Charter Schools for years. They’re usually housed in the same buildings but operate under different circumstances. Success currently offers a remote learning option for its students. However, that option only lasts until early October. Why?

“We strongly believe in-person learning is the best environment for learning and for social-emotional development, but we knew that some families might need additional time before making the adjustment back to on-campus learning,” said Ann Powell, Success Academy Charter Schools’ chief public affairs officer.

The closer to Sept. 13, the louder the cries for a remote option. This week, the Alliance for Quality Education joined the fray and called for the mayor and the city to stop and consider possible ramifications for this policy.

“We know that students learn best in the classroom,” said Jasmine Gripper, executive director, Alliance for Quality Education. “We are about to begin the third school year impacted by COVID-19, yet we still have not done everything possible to ensure learning can happen safely and successfully. With the rise of the Delta variant, we should be more cautious and proactive by doing what we can to curtail the spread of COVID-19, particularly when we are dealing with our children.”

And another group of students forgotten in this scenario? The disabled. The results for that group side with the mayor. According to a recent report by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, New York students with disabilities lost partial or full special education services because of school shutdowns and the shift toremotelearningduring the pandemic.

“Schools collaborate with service

School is near, but the city doesn’t have a remote option for students. (Courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

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