Blas’ School-Plan Disaster Fails City Kids & Educators
As a 34-year retired math teacher in the New York City Board of Education, I can tell you this: Mayor de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza’s plan for opening schools is ridiculous (“Class Clowns,” July 9). Half remote learning and half attendance — are you kidding me?
It’s time for the parents of city school children to revolt. Rally, march and get loud. Tell these morons you demand your children go back to school in September.
If you don’t, your children will be damaged. That is to an exaggeration. When our children are not in school, our country is a sad, empty place. Joe Nugent
Staten Island
I worked in schools for nearly 50 years in every capacity. No public school in New York state is set up to deliver effective online instruction across all grades. So if that is the plan, it would be better to close the schools, period.
Opening schools at half capacity, social distancing, etc. can be done, but at a huge cost because at least two shifts per day would likely be necessary. Additional staffing and expenses would be cost prohibitive.
Neither Gov. Cuomo nor any other politician has a clue as to what it would take to “open” schools per the above scenarios.
So the choice is to fully open the schools or shutter them for the year and furlough or lay off staff. Not a good choice. Open them up. John Metallo
Slingerland
Gov. Cuomo should open schools full time in the fall. Why not do temperature checks at the front door everyday? And test everyone twice weekly?
Everyone can wear face shields. Parents can keep kids home if they are coughing or sneezing.
Providing lots of disposable gloves and hand sanitizer is easy.
Teachers who are older or have health issues such as diabetes or cancer can stay home. The rest are essential workers, and if they won’t come, they should receive no pay.
Carol Meltzor
Manhattan
The plan put forth by de Blasio and the equally idiotic Carranza for the opening of schools in September leaves principals, teachers, parents and the kids in a land of uncertainty.
These two couldn’t run a lemonade stand, let alone the largest public school system in the country. Once again, our kids’ education will be shortchanged and that is an absolute shame. Robert DiNardo
Farmingdale
Loved your front page, but you’re missing one of the main architects of this absolutely unworkable back-to-school plan:
Michael Mulgrew, head of the United Federation of Teachers. From the very beginning he was a driving force behind the school closures.
I am a Department of Education school nurse who was redeployed on March 23 to one of the DOE’s Regional Enrichment Centers.
After 15 weeks on site, I can assure you that there was very little mask-wearing, physical distancing or teaching/ learning going on. It was more akin to an indoor day camp.
In my 47 years of nursing, I have never seen such garbage masquerading as science. Let us all go back to our schools full time in September. Ilene Heller
Manhattan
I am no fan of the mayor. In fact, I think de Blasio is the worst mayor in modern New York City history. Nor am I fond of Carranza, who I believe is an arrogant and pitiful excuse for a schools chancellor.
However, I was disappointed at The Post’s criticism of their plan for public schools this coming year. Criticizing any plan is easy. Yet, during these unfortunate days, we need to be a little more understanding.
There can be no perfect plan for students, teachers or parents. What we can do is be supportive and patient.
The media can help by being less quick to jump down the throats of politicians and administrators who attempt to develop plans during such an unprecedented time. Jonathan Fiskus
Riverdale