Brooklyn, NY – On Tuesday, October 14, Assemblywoman Maritza Davila, District Leader Samuel Nemir Olivares, local elected representatives and parents held a Press Conference early morning at P.S. 116 to bring to light the lack of transparence and resources available for public school children.

As children return to school either remote, in person, or both, the safety of their health along with parents, teachers and faculty is of much concern. Since schools have opened the number of COVID-19 positive cases have increased. Several schools have already been reported to shut down, putting students and families at risk of spreading the virus - P.S. 116 was one of these schools.

There’s a morning routine set in place for these schools, but doubts remain about the daily safety procedures. Before entering the building, everyone is required to fill out a survey to describe their symptoms and provide information on whether they have been in contact with someone who was ill or tested positive, then they are checked for their temperature. The same process was used in schools of individuals who tested positive with no symptoms. On the other hand, parents are expected to sign a consent form for their child in order for them to return to school in person and yet only 20% of students and teachers are tested randomly, what happens to the 80%? For children who are transitioning to remote learning, the lack of resources is of major concern as well, there aren't enough tablets, laptops available and proper Wi-Fi service available especially for underserved communities. 

“As we know this may become the norm of this pandemic, we are still extremely worried as to how the process is transpiring before our eyes. We need to ensure that our parents are informed in an amicable time not hours before they must leave for work. There isn’t enough preparation time for our parents to decide if they can afford to take time off or put their child into daycare. Many children are being withheld from receiving the proper education due to the lack of educational resources. There needs to be a workable system in place to better accommodate the educational needs for our children,” said Assemblywoman Maritza Davila, 53^rd Assembly District

“As we face the prospect of a new surge in COVID-19 cases in New York City, we must have cooperation between the city and state levels to ensure that proper resources, policies and safeguards are in place to protect our children, families, teachers and school staff, " said Senator Julia Salazar (18^th Senate District, Brooklyn).  "The Mayor’s Office along with city and state agencies must execute a viable plan and provide the resources needed, ensuring that all students have the technology that’s essential to be fully engaged in remote learning. Families should not be placed in the position of having to choose between quality education and the health of their children.”

We are extremely worried about the health and the lives of our children, teachers and school community. We now have over 6 positive cases in Bushwick -including one student- in just a few days and now it is an outbreak unfolding before our eyes. The city and state need to hear directly from our communities on the ground that the Covid protocol is failing in practice and it needs to be revised. We can’t afford until several cases happen and lives are put at risk to close a school. Then it would be too little, too late. For students in schools the Covid protocol is failing them, for those in remote learning lack of access to the technology is failing them as well. We are demanding universal testing, more transparency, better protocols and equity in the process, especially for low-income and Black and Brown communities. Our schools need to be fully funded, universal childcare and expand Regional Enrichment Centers so parents can have someone to take care of their children if they need to go back to work. Over 600 students in Bushwick and 200 in Williamsburg are still missing tablets and missing out of equity in education. This is unacceptable. If the city wants to keep schools open, then we need to do better,” said District Leader Samuel Nemir Olivares, 53^rd District

We are calling on DOE and the City of NY to make changes to the Health Screening Questionnaire that every DOE employee, students, and visitors must fill up every morning to access DOE facilities. People who are positive to covid-19 and are asymptomatic have access to the facilities carrying the virus inside our public schools exposing everyone who they are in contact with. Therefore, this questionnaire can't be use as a tool to protect our students,” said Martha Bayona, CEC 32 Parent

“I am concerned, as a parent and a community member, that the screenings conducted before entering school buildings is not enough.  I don’t think the protocols put in place by the DOE to keep the school community safe is working. I chose fully remote learning for my daughter because I did not feel comfortable with the measures that were laid out. However, many parents do send their children to school in a blended learning model, and the DOE is letting down those parents that put so much faith in their plan. The parents that believed in the safety protocols put in place are now faced with the fear of having their children contract covid-19 and bring it home to their families. If the testing in schools was not ready, the schools should not have opened. Parents do not have the same ease as DOE staff to get tested every 10 days,” said Marlene Rossi, PTA President P.S. 116

Safety means all-in-person students and staff having access to testing and tracing in a timely and culturally responsive manner. But we know this is not what we have been getting and that is why we do not feel safe. Its why families continue to opt into remote learning at alarming rates although we don’t have the infrastructure for robust remote learning. We’re glad to stand in solidarity with District leader Samuel Nemir and Assemblywoman Maritza Davila today and push back against the idea that everything is going well. We know our teachers and families Are trying their best, but we need and deserve support. We implore both local and citywide leadership to collaborate with teachers, families and students to develop plans that work for all learners and for teachers in every zip code and not just a privileged few. We hope you continue to agitate for schools our students deserve, said Kenyatta Reid, CEC 14 Parents.