Blas’ School-Reopening Failures

Mayor de Blasio’s so-called “gold standard” school-reopening performance is a bitter joke to angry city parents who’ve panned his effort as a “farce” and a failure.

Exemptions from in-person work for teachers leave many “in person” classes facing a teacher on a screen. And the rules for reclosing schools, if two staff or students test positive, have had hundreds of buildings shut down again for up to two weeks.

De Blasio hints at allowing more students and teachers back to school, but teachers union boss Michael Mulgrew says he’s not ready to rework the rules. He won’t even endorse new CDC recommendations to reduce social distancing from 6 feet to 3 feet.

You see why mayoral wannabe Andrew Yang blames the United Federation of Teachers for the nightmare: “I will confess to being a parent that has been frustrated by how slow our schools have been to open, and I do believe that the UFT has been a significant reason why our schools have been slow to open,” Yang told Politico.

As the dad of a kindergartner, Yang knows firsthand the emotional and academic toll shuttered schools have had on children and parents. And self-described “math guy” Yang understands the data showing neither small children nor school buildings are disease vectors.

His comments won’t endear him to the powerful union, but his truth-telling surely resonates with frustrated public-school parents. And they are legion.

New York City’s next mayor will need to take on Mulgrew, the UFT and others intent on ridding the system of standards and accountability.

It is a fight well worth taking on