NYC Moving Forward With First Day Of School, But Teachers Union May Vote To Strike
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — With just nine days to go until New York City schools are set to reopen, a vote could derail the plan.
The teachers union may vote as early as Tuesday to authorize a potential strike over safety concerns. The delegates will meet this afternoon and could give their union president the power to call a strike.
According to the United Federation of Teachers, New York is the only big-city school system in the U.S. that plans to reopen for in-person teaching in September.
“We would not go back unless independent medical experts gave us the stamp of approval,” UFT President Michael Mulgrew said. “It’s not like the mayor is going to convince me to not have a mandatory testing.”
As it stands, students will learn five days a week with a choice of a blended learning plan or full remote.
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However, the UFT is calling for school reopening to be delayed until the city can meet a checklist of safety standards. A major sticking point is the union’s demand for mandatory testing for teachers and students.
Another concern is proper ventilation. The city says 88% of school buildings have already been inspected for safe air quality.
The Department of Education has also approved more than 200 outdoor learning plans, and 324,000 iPads have been passed out to students who need them.
Still, uncertainties have many parents joining teachers in a call to push back the start of school.
“I think it’s a bad idea, because they’re not really prepared,” parent GiGi Gonzalez told CBS2.
“The city is on top of it, but the people are not together,” parent Wanda Crockett added.
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Some are also trying to figure out how they will get their kids to school when there’s no bus plan in place.
“They need to come up with something before school starts,” said parent Ibrahim Diop.
Mayor Bill de Blasio continues to defend his decision to open schools on Sept. 10.
“I have not heard a single educator say our kids can get the same education, as good an education, solely from remote,” he said Monday. “There’s a lot of stakeholders, and everyone wants to keep our schools safe. So there’s a whole spectrum of ways you can go about testing.”
The last UFT strike was in 1975. It came during a fiscal crisis and lasted a week.
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September 01, 2020 at 05:10PM
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