Students, families, community members and school-based staff deserve complete, transparent, anti-racist and equitable health justice before returning to school buildings.

1. The Covid-19 pandemic surfaced pre-existing health inequalities
2. Decades of austerity cuts already starved our lower-income Black and Brown communities
3. The DoE lost the trust of families and school staff for dangerous delay and lack of transparency in its response to the pandemic
4. City plans for reopening schools are inadequate and do not outline safe or equitable reopening protocols

<> The UFT four-point petition and the AFT Plan To Safely Reopen America’s Schools and Communities do not sufficiently prioritize the immediate and long term needs of our school communities, especially for marginalized communities;

<> The Chancellor’s letter and powerpoint does not sufficiently prioritize the immediate and long term needs of our school communities, especially for marginalized communities.


RANK AND FILE EDUCATORS AND COMMUNITY HAVE A DIFFERENT VISION BEFORE SAFE REOPENING OF SCHOOLS.

WE DEMAND THE CITY ADOPT THE FOLLOWING MEASURES LAID OUT IN THE MORE HEALTH JUSTICE AGENDA:

Protect Physical & Emotional Health:

1. Health Justice Monitoring Teams: Community health teams that adhere to a culturally sustaining, healing centered and intentionally decriminalized approach and function apart from School Safety Team.

2. Public Health Standards: Universal testing, extensive contact tracing, and social distancing must be achieved throughout the NYC region and in schools before students and teachers should return to school buildings.

3. Basic Sanitation: Basic non-toxic sanitary supplies such as soap, soap dispensers, alcohol-based hand sanitizer, sanitary napkins, and toilet paper must be provided in all schools.

4. PPE for All: Personal Protective Equipment for airborne illness must be regularly provided to all students and school-based staff, including SSAs, cafeteria workers and bus drivers.

5. Transparency and the Right to Know: DOE must re-establish trust by sharing the risk of reporting with all staff, students, and families.

6. Prioritize Space for Students: Space must be prioritized for student use, such as appropriate rooms for social workers and counseling, not administration or NYPD.

7. Capital Projects: Institute major improvements to school buildings and equipment, including HVAC upgrades to improve ventilation, lighting, and water piping.

8. Hire More Essential Staff: Reroute non-essential funding: increase nurses, social workers, grief counselors, school psychiatrists, and all other student-facing staff.

Empower Community:

9. Community-Based Policy Making: Staff, family, student and community participation in all DOE-wide policy-making decisions and school-based Health Monitoring.

10. Remove NYPD from Schools: The NYPD’s record of ongoing racist policing has no place in the school community. Divestment from NYPD in our schools will allow for investment in essential staff needed such as social workers, school counselors, and nurses.

11. Public Schools for the Public: Reject ploys to prioritize private interests over the public good of our city’s educators, students, and families.

12. Re-Frame Education toward Healing-Centered, Culturally Responsive, Anti-Racist, and Non-Criminalizing Approaches: Health and healing must be the priority whenever schools reopen. We reject the narrative of “playing catch up,” and instead choose to reframe education with a vision for healing centered learning. Education should center the co-creation of flexible, responsive and adaptive learning experiences alongside families. Our schools should be places where everyone can thrive and self actualize (NYCoRE).

13. Equity for all Diverse Learners: Ensure hygiene and social distancing measures are accessible for all people, and that all students have access to healing centered education. Support diverse learners who may struggle to readjust upon returning to school, ensuring they have what they need to get through the day. This includes homeless, adult, and incarcerated students.