Thread by @_realanna

@NYCMayor is saying some seriously dangerous nonsense. “... people think that if you raise enough questions & doubts, folks will run away and hide. That’s not what I do.... We just don’t surrender.” It is not "surrendering" if you listen to stakeholders' VERY VALID questions.

the fact the @BilldeBlasio thinks that keeping New Yorkers safe is "running away and hiding" and is "surrendering"...???? Where is the logic? We are asking you to consider the reality that WE COULD DIE if you send us back.

Plus: it's not like the city has some GRAND PLAN for the Fall semester. There are HUNDREDS of crucial, and simple!, questions that have gone unanswered with regard to this reopening. #wewontdieforDOE #OnlyWhenItsSafe

- How will we support, rather than punish, students who have a hard time wearing PPE for the full school day?
- If a student’s device breaks or malfunctions, how will they get a new one? What happens to their learning in the meantime?

- How will we support students who need to move around and expend energy throughout the day?
- How will we support students who rely on after-school activities for enrichment and additional support?

- How will teachers who are parents of school-aged children get accommodations for childcare needs if their teaching days are not aligned w/ their students’ learning days?
- Teachers now have an “instructional lunch;” will we be liable if a student chokes or has an allergy?

- What accommodations are being made for teachers who live with high-risk individuals?
- If a school is short on space and typically shares classrooms, how will we ensure that the classrooms are cleaned between uses? Who is responsible for this cleaning?

- Will substitutes be called in when a teacher is out sick?
- Will teachers be expected to do additional coverages when their coworkers are out sick? @NYCMayor @MarkTreyger718 @MOREcaucusUFT

- What will happen if a teacher puts in for a medical accommodation after the school year has started, e.g. for a newly diagnosed medical condition? Who will teach their classes?
- How can we ensure that remote-only students have access to curricular materials (e.g. textbooks)?

- What will happen when do not have enough masks &/or sanitizer?
- Will there be a system to report a lack of supplies in our buildings?
- What are the ingredients of the “Covid killer” spray? Who has ensured this is safe for students&staff to come into contact with regularly?

- Who is in charge of enforcing student compliance with proper PPE? How can we enforce this without deputizing school staff and students, and without punishing a child for not complying or being able to comply?
@NYCMayor @DOEChancellor

- Will student desks have plexiglass guards around them?
- Will students have access to PPE if they cannot afford highly effective PPE and/or are not able to wash reusable PPE frequently?

- There is data that shows many zip codes in NYC are close to or over the 3% threshold for positive cases, which renders the city-wide average meaningless for schools in zip codes with higher COVID numbers. How is this data being factored into decision making? @NYCMayor

- Are students allowed to go into the bathrooms at the same time? If they are, how will the DOE track exposure? If they are not allowed to use the bathroom at the same time as others, who is in charge of monitoring and enforcing this? #unansweredquestions @NYCMayor

- What will happen when a student shows symptoms of Covid in school?
- What will a school nurse do if a student comes to them with Covid symptoms?
- How is the isolation room going to be supervised and what PPE equipment will be provided?

- If more than one student has symptoms of covid, will they go to the same isolation room, or different isolation rooms?
- Who will be staffing isolation rooms for students with symptoms of covid?
- Will teachers who are staffing isolation rooms receive hazard pay?

- If a teacher is exhibiting symptoms of Covid but has not had a known contact or been contacted by a contact tracer, will this come out of their CAR? If not, how can we ensure staff are staying home when they are potentially infectious? @NYCMayor @MarkTreyger718

- If a teacher has been exposed, are they expected to teach remotely while quarantining?
- If a teacher tests + due to an exposure on the job, do days come out of their CAR while they are recovering?
- Who teaches the students if a teacher needs to quarantine?

- If a student in a self-contained classroom tests positive, the entire class quarantines; what about in schools where students change classes? How does this account for shared hallways, entrances, stairwells?

- If a student in a building with multiple schools tests positive, what procedures are in place to protect, test, and quarantine the entire building?

- If we do go fully remote, will there be programs for families to sign up for free internet access?
- Will school staff & families be ensured free & adequate technology?
- Will the DOE contribute to the cost of school staff’s additional internet, cell, and electrical bills?

@DOEChancellor told parents on a Town Hall that teachers have been getting training this summer on remote instruction. When should we expect this training to begin?

- The DOE has agreed that instructional lunch time will include all students facing forward with teachers at the back of the room to protect the teachers. What protections exist for students?

- If standardized curricula are created, as suggested by Michael Mulgrew during the 8/13 Town Hall, what wiggle room do teachers and schools have to modify this so that their students receive culturally-responsive education particular to their backgrounds?

- For schools whose HVAC systems and school facilities in general do not pass the required criteria, where will the students and staff be transferred to?
- For interior classrooms with no windows, how can we ensure proper ventilation?
@MOREcaucusUFT
#wewontdieforDOE

Lest you think this is a comprehensive list, *it isn't.* There are hundreds more questions. You know what the *very simple* answer is? Remote-only. Train us on how to teach effectively online. Open REC centers. #wewontdieforDOE #OnlyWhenItsSafe #remotelearning @NYCMayor