Delaying School, Saving Lives

The week after Labor Day weekend is usually filled with a flurry of back-to-school shopping and procrastinated summer homework as students prepare to go back to school on that dreaded Thursday. Only this year, things are looking a little different. Though Mayor Bill de Blasio was anxious to begin the school year in person, he has pushed back the school year start date for New York City public schools all the way to September 21, due to pressure from the city’s teachers. Though de Blasio has faced some backlash for this decision, delaying the start of school was ultimately the right move, as it gives extra time for educators to prepare, allows Department of Education officials to make school buildings as safe as possible, and shows that the voices of teachers are being listened to.

From March to June, remote learning was simply a nuisance and a setback. Many thought that we would simply have to ride out the remote learning wave for the rest of the year and would be returning to school in the fall as usual. Many teachers opted out of using Zoom—or any synchronous instruction—and favored assigning worksheets, DeltaMath assignments, and instructional videos instead. With only one week to prepare the remote learning curriculum after schools closed on March 13, teachers scrambled to find workable remote learning methods. And now, with blended learning starting on September 21, teachers must create two curricula in order to accommodate both remote and blended learning students, while making sure that each medium operates with the same quality and difficulty level. De Blasio’s postponement of the school year start date will give teachers an adequate amount of time to perfect their curricula. With this additional time, our teachers here at Stuyvesant will be able to make sure that their new curricula are as close to in-person learning as possible.

More important than the curricula, however, is the safety of students and teachers who will be part of blended learning. Many teachers feel that they are not safe in their classrooms and consequently do not want to return to school. At Stuyvesant, 25 percent of teachers and 13 percent of non-academic staff have submitted a request to be exempt from coming to school due to medical accommodations. These teachers are concerned for their safety, and asking them to come into school when they feel so unsafe in the midst of a raging pandemic is simply unfair. In addition to teachers feeling unsafe, the Stuyvesant school building itself is not safe for returning students and teachers at the moment. The school's ventilation system currently uses filters with MERV-8 ratings, and 25 of the filters were found to be defective in the city's 2019 inspection. Filters with a rating of MERV-13 or higher are recommended to protect against COVID-19, meaning that our filter system should be updated to make sure our students are safe. In other words, there is still a lot of work to be done. Stuyvesant simply cannot open without these concerns being addressed, and Mayor de Blasio needs to understand that helping the economy should not be put above the health and safety of students and educators.

The delay of school opening also shows that the voices of teachers still carry weight. The Teachers’ Union threatened its first strike in 45 years if de Blasio did not give teachers more time to prepare. The last strike by the Teachers’ Union in New York City was in 1975—after the city laid off 15,000 teachers and other school employees due to a financial strike. Because teachers in New York City are public sector employees, it is illegal for them to strike under the Taylor Law. The Teachers’ Union knows the risks of strikes in New York, and the fact that they are still willing to threaten a strike shows the severity of this situation. De Blasio’s pushing back of the school start date shows that he understands how severe a teacher’s strike would be, and therefore demonstrates that the teachers of New York City still have a voice.

De Blasio has taken the first step on the path to a harmonious and mutually beneficial relationship with New York City’s teachers, but there is still work to be done. Listening to the demands of the Teachers’ Union is not enough; consistent communication and giving the representatives of the Teachers’ Union a say in the way school operates this year are imperative to ensuring that our teachers can teach safely. It is also important for de Blasio to ensure that teachers receive a clear plan of action that outlines exactly how blended learning will function this year. In short, not only do teachers need to be kept informed, but they must have a seat at the decision-making table, as New York City’s schools cannot function without them.

Teachers are a vital part of our society. Without teachers, who would teach kids their first reading, writing, and math skills and make sure that they step out of college with the tools necessary to face the world? The well-being and safety of teachers are essential if we want to reopen schools this fall. De Blasio made the correct decision by listening to the concerns of the Teachers’ Union, and he needs to continue listening if he wants to achieve the reopening that he has been pushing for.