"We recommend that New York City follow the example of affected jurisdictions around the region, the nation and even the world in closing our public schools"
--UFT President Michael Mulgrew #Coronavirusnyc
"We don’t suggest this lightly. We understand the immense disruption this will create for our families. But right now more than a million students and staff crisscross the city every day on their way to schools,
putting themselves and others at risk of exposure
and increasing the likelihood of bringing exposure into their homes and communities."
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
Here at City Hall where City Council Education Committee Chair Mark Treyger is announcing a proposed bill to update the city’s Administrative Code to raise the minimum per-person classroom space to 35 square feet per student from 20 square feet for grades 1-12.
Treyger: This bill would mandate the reduction of class size by reducing the per-person occupancy in a classroom: 1 person per 35 square feet.
Treyger: Under this proposal, an average 500-square-foot classroom would have a maximum occupancy of 14 students.
We have reached an agreement with City Hall and the Department of Education that meets our demand that the safety of our school communities must come first. Our schools will now reopen in a much better place because of all our work together.
Schools will reopen for staff on Tuesday, Sept. 8, and for students on Monday, Sept. 21.
The decision on whether to reopen a school building to students will be based on the UFT’s 50-item safety plan, including the availability of masks and face shields, a room-by-room review of ventilation effectiveness, an isolation room and a COVID-19 building response team.
THREAD
Mulgrew: @NYCMayor and @DOEChancellor today unveiled the city’s most detailed plan yet for a partial reopening of school buildings in September. The plan builds on discussions the UFT has been having with the NYC DOE since May. 1/7
We believe a blended learning model, with students in class on some days and remote on others, balances our safety concerns with the need to bring students back. 2/7
The de Blasio administration, however, must offer a concrete plan for childcare for our members and for working parents for days when their children cannot be physically present at school. 3/7