[[link removed]]Dear John,



We have to get our priorities straight.

Schools are essential spaces for learning, community building, and services for all of our students. They should not be the first thing to close as the second wave of COVID-19 cases rise around our city.

Yet, with the average positivity rate citywide inching towards the 3% threshold that the Mayor has committed to, we are getting dangerously close to an abrupt shut down of schools -- even while bars, restaurants, and gyms still welcome indoor guests.

The decision regarding our schools belongs to the Mayor, but it's the Governor who has the power regarding indoor dining, and other business restrictions. Yesterday the Governor announced that restaurants, bars, and gyms must close at 10 PM (as if the virus could tell time), and restricted indoor gatherings to 10 people.

We should treat schools like the essential institutions that they are. Prioritizing schools means closing indoor dining, gyms, offices, and even non-essential retail before we close the schools.

While our schools are open, we should be surging resources there: more testing, more PPE, and more staff to help keep everyone safe, clean, and distant. And no matter what happens with in person learning, we must ensure that all students have the technology and resources they need to learn at home.

We may well need to close our schools amidst this second wave, but that decision should be based on the best public health data that we have. We did not have that school-based data in March, but we do now and we should use it. School-based testing shows a positivity rate under 0.25% [[link removed]] in every borough right now, even as cases rise outside the classroom citywide. Let’s use the data we have to inform the decisions about our school system, so that we can target our effort to curb the spread of the virus in the most effective way, while doing the least disruption to the lives and learning of the next generation.

This is not easy, and no one is happy about closing businesses either. We need to come up with new relief for our small businesses, including the Small Business Recovery Leases [[link removed]] that Council Member Powers, Assembly Member Niou, and Senator Kavanagh have proposed. We need to make sure that all students have the technology they need to learn from home when they are not in the classroom. But we cannot make the many benefits of in person school the first thing on the chopping block to tamp down the spreading virus.

We have a long winter ahead of us and we must focus on the evidence we have about what is and is not risky in order to make smart decisions about how to keep communities safe and supported.

Brad

Updates and Resources

*
Latest
Virus
Data:
In
NYC,
there
were
870
new
cases
today,
and
100
new
patients
admitted
to
hospitals.
We
have
lost
24,096
people
in
NYC
from
the
virus,
including
sadly
14
in
the
last
few
days,
and
280,044
total
cases
have
been
identified
in
the
city
since
the
start
of
the
pandemic.
The
citywide
7-day
rolling
average
of
positive
test
rates
is
2.6%.


*
New
Guidance:
Restaurants,
bars,
and
gyms
are
to
close
at
10
PM
and
private
gatherings
indoors
are
limited
to
10
people,
beginning
tomorrow.
More
detail
on
the
state
guidance
is
here
[[link removed]]
.


*
Get
Tested:
Testing
is
widely
available
(and
free)
to
all
New
Yorkers.
You
can
make
an
appointment
to
get
a
rapid
test
[[link removed]]
(results
back
in
24
hours)
or
walk
in
to
a
testing
site
[[link removed]]
around
the
city.


*
Schools
Opt-In
Deadline:
As
absurd
as
it
seems
to
have
the
opt-in
deadline
be
at
the
same
time
that
schools
are
nearing
the
threshold
for
closure,
the
current
directive
is
that
November
15
is
the
deadline
to
switch
into
blended
learning.
Fill
out
the
survey
here
[[link removed]]
.
The
Mayor
and
Chancellor
have
said
this
is
the
only
opt-in
period
for
now
for
the
rest
of
this
school
year,
but
as
with
everything
else,
that
may
change.


*
Middle
School
Admissions:
While
the
DOE
has
yet
to
provide
guidance
on
middle
school
and
high
school
admissions
for
the
2021-22
school
year,
D15
middle
schools,
which
are
all
part
of
the
D15
Diversity
Plan,
have
started
gearing
up
for
a
process
that
will
be
largely
virtual
this
year.
Below
are
some
current
opportunities
for
fifth
graders
and
their
families
to
check
out
our
D15
middle
schools.
We
will
provide
updates
as
more
information
becomes
available
(and
are
continuing
to
push
for
[[link removed]]
the
City
to
adopt
a
version
of
the
D15
weighted
lottery
citywide
as
the
most
fair
and
equitable
approach
to
admissions
this
year).

*
BCS
has
opened
registration
[[link removed]]
for
several
virtual
open
houses
11/19,
11/22,
12/3
and
12/13.
*
BHS
has
posted
a
signup
[[link removed]]
for
their
first
virtual
open
house
11/17
at
1
PM.
*
MS
51
has
posted
a
signup
[[link removed]]
to
receive
information
on
their
upcoming
virtual
tour.
*
MS
88
has
a
Get
to
Know
Us
page
[[link removed]]
including
a
virtual
tour
for
prospective
families.
*
MS
839
has
posted
a
virtual
tour
here
[[link removed]]
.
*
BUGS
has
a
registration
[[link removed]]
for
two
virtual
information
sessions
11/18
and
12/7.
*
Brooklyn
Prospect
Charter
has
opened
their
admissions
process.
Note
the
Windsor
Terrace
Middle
School
is
now
located
in
D13
temporarily.
Admissions
information
can
be
found
here
[[link removed]]
.



456 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-499-1090
[email protected]

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