Middle school buildings reopen for some of our students tomorrow, for the first time since November. While middle school isn’t always associated with joy, I know that’s what many kids will be feeling (even if some try to look cool) as they step into their school buildings after long months away. 

For me, it is a first step toward recovery. I’m thinking back to the first day of school after Hurricane Sandy, and how I had never appreciated public school quite so much -- and I’m deeply grateful to the principals, educators, and staff in our schools who are among the heroes of this pandemic and have helped us accomplish something most other major cities have not even tried. 

But it’s also a sign of how much work we have to do going forward to get all our kids back into safe, supportive classrooms, in a way that will truly help them recover from the trauma and loss of this pandemic -- and how badly we’re failing right now to plan & work to get there. 

I want to start by acknowledging concerns and fears on many sides, and let you know I’m hearing you. We’ve heard from many elementary school parents who long to see the school closure rate changed to limit repeated case-by-case school closings, which have made school a 3-or-4-days-a-month activity. From teachers and staff who still don’t feel like the DOE is doing all they can to provide a safe work environment. From high school students who don’t know if they’ll ever get back in their schools. Kids with special needs are missing mandated services they are entitled to. Many families who opted for remote learning last fall don’t feel like there was ever a real effort to make remote learning work this year. And tens of thousands of kids in homeless shelters don’t even have basic internet access to participate in remote learning at all. It’s a devastating amount of loss, fear, and trauma. 

It’s on us -- together -- to find, demand, and build paths back to learning and thriving for all our kids. The realist in me knows there is only so much that can be done to improve learning between now and June, given the leadership we have, and a virus that’s still raging. The leadership failures are enormous, and trust will be very hard to restore. But it is essential that we do all we can. So let’s use this moment of reopening for our middle school students as an opportunity to think creatively about the return to full-time, in-person school. I’ll start here with a few of my thoughts. I’d love to hear yours (even knowing that some of them will contradict others):

• First, of course, we need teachers and school staff fully vaccinated. It is unlikely that young children will receive the vaccine before the end of 2021, but there is evidence that children do not become infected with the virus at the same rate as adults, and little evidence of student-to-student spread of virus within schools practicing strict mask-wearing and social distancing (harder for younger students, but more possible for older ones). Fully vaccinating teachers and staff should mitigate much of the risk of returning to school full time in the fall.

• School budget relief: Schools must have the resources to chart the path back for our children from a year of interrupted learning and emotional trauma. So it’s totally outrageous that Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza are demanding that hundreds of schools each send hundreds of thousands of dollars back to Tweed -- money they already spent on hiring extra teachers for blended and remote learning. If the mayor and chancellor keep this up, it will mean schools starved of resources this spring and next fall, when they most urgently need them. That’s why I have been leading the effort to demand that the chancellor and mayor restore school budgets using NYC’s portion of the $130B for K-12 schools in Biden’s American Rescue Plan. I will keep pushing through the upcoming city budget process until that funding is restored.

• Standardized tests are not the path to recovery: I was deeply disappointed by the Biden administration’s decision that standardized state tests must be administered this year. In a time of trauma like this, these standardized tests will be additional anxiety for children and distracting from the work teachers and administrators are doing right now to keep kids learning. The NYC Department of Education must make it far simpler and easier for families in Grades 3-8 to opt out of the standardized state tests -- and use the expanded pandemic teaching capacity to provide enriching activities for students who do.

• Universal summer enrichment for all who want or need it: We must start now to identify how our kids are being affected by this crisis, and map out how to get them back on track. One idea: let’s create a universal summer enrichment program -- a mix of time in the classroom, time in outdoor expeditions and play, and SYEP employment internships for older kids -- for any student that wants it or needs it (and with opt-in flexibility for other programs or family activities). The DOE built the “Learning Bridges” program to provide wrap-around education and activities, and we already have many great summer camps and SYEP providers to build those programs with. Our kids have lost so much this year. Let’s use the summer to kick-start a massive program to help them recover.

• Focus on social and emotional support like never before: Finally, as our schools reopen and we begin to address so much learning loss, we must do far more to put in place the social and emotional supports students will need to thrive after months of social isolation and trauma. That means hiring more guidance counselors and social workers, by canceling City Hall’s reported plans to spend $20 million to hire 475 more NYPD school safety agents (SSAs) -- when we already have more SSAs than guidance counselors, social workers, and school psychologists combined. It means removing the metal detectors at schools like John Jay Educational Campus, so we can welcome them back to school like students, not suspects. It means a total reboot of the relationship between the DOE and the Department of Homeless Services, so homeless students come first, rather than last. And it means a massive professional development effort for teachers and staff in restorative practices, problem-solving circles, and the mindfulness-in-schools program that my mom (a retired guidance counselor) still does with elementary school kids every week. This is an opportunity to help our schools show up for all our kids. Let’s not miss it.  

Meanwhile, our race to vaccinate New York City continues. My office is continuing to provide support to seniors, and language support in Russian and Bangla. And if you are a teacher or school staffer struggling to get an appointment, we’ll do all we can to help you land one. Please continue to reach out to my office with anything at [email protected] or leave a message at 718.499.1090 and we’ll call you back. 

Be safe, get vaccinated when you’re eligible, and keep wearing a mask, 

Brad 

P.S. If you know one of those middle-school students returning to (or still learning remote at) MS 51, MS 88, IS 136 Dewey, MS 447, MS 839, or Park Slope Collegiate, encourage them to join IntegrateNYC’s D15 Middle School Virtual Community Gathering Thursday 2/25 4:30-6 pm. It’s a chance to join with our middle school students to build relationships, talk about the trauma of this year, raise student voices, and take action together. RSVP at IntegrateNYC.org/d15ms or email [email protected] to learn more.
 

Covid-19 Updates and Resources

• Latest Virus Data: In NYC, 3,509  new COVID cases were reported February 22nd, for a total of 700,815 cases since the start of the pandemic. We have lost 28,888 people in NYC from the virus, including sadly 64 reported on February 22nd. The number of new cases and the positivity rate have been declining slightly for the past week, but the citywide 7-day rolling average of positive test rates is 7.15%. City data here.

• Vaccine Data: As of today, 2,010.010 vaccine doses have been delivered to New York City, and 1,547,983 have been administered (893,201 first doses, 501,464 second doses). For more information on vaccine eligibility, locations, and data, visit the NYC Vaccine Command Center’s Website. (And you can review our office’s Vaccine FAQ here).

• Beware of COVID Vaccine Scams: Please ignore any individual or organization claiming to be able to provide a vaccine in exchange for payment. No vaccine distributors will ask you for Social Security, credit card, or bank account information. The vaccine is completely free, regardless of whether you have health insurance. If you suspect any fraudulent activity relating to COVID-19, please call the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Action Center Hotline at 718-250-2340.

• Get Tested: Even with these new vaccines in circulation it is still so important to keep up our social distancing, wear masks, and get tested. For information about testing sites around the city, visit New York City’s Covid-19 testing website.

• Self Senior Sign up: If you are a senior or know a senior who would benefit from free friendly calls from the Neighbor Network during this isolating time, you can now sign up here by filling out this form or calling 914.572.5526.

Education Updates and Resources

• High School application deadline extended to 3/1
  Video Series: schools.nyc.gov/High
  Admissions guide: Schools.nyc.gov/HSGuide 
  High School Admissions Presentation:https://vimeo.com/502252425

• Pre-K applications open today, and the deadline to apply is April 7. During the application period, you can apply online or by phone. Sign up for the pre-K admissions email list for updates, tips, and reminders throughout the process. Throughout the admissions process, you'll use MySchools.nyc to learn about pre-K programs, apply, get your offer, and learn about waitlists. Before the application opens you can set up your MySchools account and start exploring pre-K program options in MySchools' online, searchable pre-K directory. For more information visit the DOE pre-K website.

• Apply to run for a CEC seat by 2/28: This year it will be parents and not just PTAs that directly elect CEC members-- and with an estimated 1.25M parents eligible to vote this will be the largest parent engagement program in the country. There are 32 District CECs and 4 city-wide councils in NYC. Each CEC has 9 elected parent members and 2 appointees.  Among the 9 elected members, 2 represent students with special needs and English language learners. There is also 1 spot for a HS senior on each council. If you want to be involved in the issues facing schools in your child's district, please consider running for a seat on your CEC. For those elected, this new 2-year term will begin 7/1. Apply to run through your NYC Schools Account. For more information on how to apply to run, please visit the DOE 2021 Community and Citywide Elections website.

• IntegrateNYC D15 Middle School Virtual Community Gathering Thursday 2/25 4:30-6 pm. Are you a middle school student at MS 88, MS 839, Park Slope Collegiate, MS 51, I.S. 136 Dewey, or MS 447? Join your school community and the district-wide community to build relationships, raise your voice, and take action together! If you are not a student at one of these schools email [email protected] to introduce yourself. If you have yet to RSVP, you can here: IntegrateNYC.org/d15ms.  

• Voting for the Civic Engagement Commission youth-led PB process has been extended through Friday, 2/26: $100k will go to programs for mental health, education, & more. New Yorkers ages 9-24 can sign up to vote at https://www.participate.nyc.gov/processes/itsourmoney  

Other Updates and Resources

• Legal Services Hotline: NYC Financial Justice Hotline is a free legal hotline for low-income NYC residents.  The hotline staffed in English and Spanish,provides free legal information, advice, and referrals on a wide range of financial justice issues--from discriminatory banking practices to predatory debt collection. You can find more information here.

• COJO Flatbush Tax Collection: They are offering free tax services for tax season.  If you need assistance filing your taxes you can find more information and contact them here.

• Access Benefits Helpline through Legal Aid: Anyone having trouble with an application to apply for or recertify for HRA cash assistance, SNAP, or Medicaid benefits, can all the Legal Aid Society’s Access to Benefits Helpline at 888-663-6880 M-F 10 am-3 pm.

• We are still collecting Fresh Direct Bags for redistribution to food pantries and mutual aid groups: You can drop your Fresh Direct bags (folded, please) at any of the locations and times below:

• Kensington: 3 Avenue C, Saturdays at 4 PM

• Park Slope: 256 13th St, M-F, 8 AM to 6 PM

• Carroll Gardens: 71 3rd Pl, M-F, 8 AM to 6 PM

• Cobble Hill: 359 Henry St, Mon-Wed, 9 AM to 6 PM