NYC teachers union calls on de Blasio to shut down schools as parents increasingly keep kids home

[PoliticAverse]

Amid growing coronavirus concerns, the unions representing New York City’s teachers and administrators called on Friday for the country’s largest school system to close its doors in the face of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s strident opposition.

New York City parents, educators, and schools began to take matters into their own hands, as the number of confirmed cases in the city jumped to more than 150 as of Friday afternoon. The number of families opting to keep their children home spiked as the citywide attendance rate dipped Friday to 68%, from 85% the day before. (Friday was a half-day for many students, which could have also dragged the numbers down.)

“We understand the immense disruption this will create for our families,” teachers union president Michael Mulgrew said in a statement. “But right now more than a million students and staff crisscross the city every day on their way to schools, putting themselves and others at risk of exposure and increasing the likelihood of bringing exposure into their homes and communities.”

Union leaders said they hoped New York would follow other large districts, including the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second-largest school system, and Boston Public Schools, which have shuttered in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Some states, including Florida, Michigan, and Illinois have taken the remarkable step of closing all of its schools.

Read the rest at: https://chalkbeat.org/posts/ny/2020/03/13/nyc-teachers-union-calls-on-de-blasio-to-shut-down-schools-as-parents-increasingly-keep-kids-home/