The following came into the SBSB newsroom earlier in the week. It is a
letter and petition directed to our dear governor requesting that he
stop the insanity and inanity, as well as De Blasio's and Carranza's
incompetence to keep schools from opening on September 10.
This letter and petition were created by Marisa Wagner and Tracy LaGrassa, both biology teachers, both with PhD's, both with real life educational experiences, at Bronx Science High School. Who do you think we should listen to? These two dolts, or Drs Wagner and LaGrassa? Both deserve all the kudos.
The Crack Team and myself have read this many times over and we like what we read. This letter and petition obviously is the results of people with brains, foresight and most importantly not named Carranza or De Blasio. You can tell the authors put more time and work into their letter how to reopen the schools than Twiddle Dumb and Twiddle Dumber have.
Please sign the petition. And please use the hashtags on Twitter, #notuntilitssafe and #followthescience.
I still don't believe schools will open on September 10.
Dear Governor Cuomo,
As
teachers in the New York City public school system, we are proud of how
New York, under your leadership, has handled the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
You and your advisors have made public health decisions based on the science.
You advocated for and procured what was needed for the medical
community. You spoke frankly to the public about what was happening and
what had to be done, and, together, we flattened the curve. You are now
guiding us through a cautious, phased reopening of the state, adjusting
criteria as needed. All of this is toward ensuring that the curve stays
flattened. Your leadership during this crisis has helped to ensure our
safety, despite the lingering presence of SARS-CoV-2 in our local
communities and the increasing prevalence of the virus in states to our
south and west.
We
now ask that you take that same cautious approach, informed by the best
science available, as we consider how to safely reopen our schools. We
all want to return to the normalcy of in person learning; HOWEVER, we
feel it is irresponsible to reopen our school buildings to children in
any capacity until it can be done safely, for the sake of the health of
our children, our staff, our families, and New York. We have serious
concerns about how we can accomplish this in the NYC public school
system with over 1 million students at over 1,600 schools,
and in light of impending budget cuts, in time for buildings to reopen
in September. Once outbreaks begin to happen in the schools, a second
wave of COVID-19 in NYC seems inevitable.
Based on the best science available, what needs to be done NOW to make our schools safe to reopen in the age of COVID-19?
We
MUST have a robust testing and contact tracing system in place that
includes frequent testing of ALL students and staff, multiple times per
week.1 As
more data are collected concerning SARS-CoV-2 and children, the
evidence is increasingly clear that children of all ages are capable of
contracting and transmitting the virus as well as adults do.2 Upwards
of 50% of virus transmission happens pre-symptomatically, from infected
individuals who have not yet experienced symptoms.3 Viral transmission happens from asymptomatic individuals, those who are infected but never experience symptoms.4 This
evidence informs us that temperature checks and self-reporting of
symptoms are ineffective measures to prevent virus spread.
If
we cannot identify infected pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic
individuals in our school communities, there most certainly will be
outbreaks that will contribute to community spread throughout the city.
Pooled PCR testing to detect viral RNA, recently FDA-approved, could be
performed a minimum of twice per week on all cohorts within a school.5 Rapid,
inexpensive antigen-based tests for virus present in saliva, akin to
home pregnancy tests, could be done at home each day to determine
whether or not it is safe for that student or staff member to go to
school. Such tests exist but there has not been a push for licensing,
manufacturing and distribution.6 We
are in this for the long haul, until we achieve the protective herd
immunity needed to keep our community safe. We have every confidence
that we will eventually have successful vaccines to help us to reach
that herd immunity more quickly, but we cannot wait. Frequent testing
with rapid turnaround time for all students and staff in the schools
needs to be implemented NOW and we would be proud to see New York take
the lead on this.
Our
physical buildings must be made safe. Although most viral transmission
happens via larger respiratory droplets and is mitigated by 6 feet
physical distancing and wearing masks, there is evidence of transmission
via aerosols, smaller droplets that remain in the air longer and can
accumulate in rooms with poor ventilation. Thus HVAC systems need to be
inspected and upgraded as needed for sufficient air exchange rates in
classrooms and offices.7 Cleaning
supplies, soap, paper towels, hand sanitizer and the like must be kept
in plentiful supply to reduce viral transmission via contact with
surfaces. PPE such as masks and gloves must be made available. We need a
means to enforce PPE use and proper physical distancing at all times of
the day, including arrival, travel to classrooms, lunch, and dismissal.
Given
the current lack of widespread use of SARS-CoV-2 tests that allow
sufficient monitoring of our school communities, as well as budget cuts
that will make funding all of the necessary safety measures nearly
impossible, we have zero confidence that schools can be safely opened by
September. Please make the right decision now. Let us begin the school
year with 100% remote learning. Let teachers focus on making remote
learning engaging and effective for all our students. Let us invest
resources and creativity in making the necessary technology available to
all NYC students. This is especially important because remote
instruction will continue to be an essential component of education
until the pandemic is over.
Once
a robust test and trace system is implemented in all schools and all
physical buildings are safe, and assuming that COVID-19 cases remain at
their current low rate in NYC, then a phased return of students to their
schools for physically distanced, 6-feet-apart learning can be
considered. To accommodate this phased return under the current budget
conditions, the safety measures put forth above should be applied in a
way that prioritizes first bringing back the students who need in person
learning the most.8
Younger children (e.g., grades K-8)
as well as older students who require in person services should be part
of the first phase. Younger children are more susceptible to learning
loss, need interaction with peers and their teachers for
social-emotional development, and need home supervision to benefit from
remote learning.9 Many parents of younger children rely on their children being in school to allow them to work.
High
school students should be the last to be phased in for school
reopening. High schoolers require less parental supervision and can do
well with 100% remote learning. In addition, in NYC, while most primary
and middle schools are neighborhood schools, requiring a short commute
such as a walk to school, most high schoolers travel longer distances,
often between boroughs, each day to get to school. Given their longer
times on public transportation and their inherently larger social and
in-school networks, high school age students have the potential to
contribute the most to increased citywide community spread and will be
more difficult to contact trace as compared to younger children.
Governor
Cuomo, we urge you to lead us through a safe ’20-’21 school year for
all New Yorkers. We fear for the health of our students, ourselves, and
all of our families. We do not want to have to mourn the loss of any
more members of our school and home communities due to COVID-19. We do
not want to see any more members of our school and home communities
suffer permanent organ damage and chronic disability due to COVID-19.10 We want to see the curve in NYC and New York remain flattened.
Respectfully,
New York City Public School Teachers
***
Marisa Wagner, Ph.D. - Biology Teacher, Bronx High School of Science
Tracy LaGrassa, Ph.D. - Biology Teacher, Bronx High School of Science
References:
- Need for frequent, inexpensive testing with rapid turnaround time
- Children contract and transmit SARS-CoV-2
- Pre-symptomatic spread of SARS-CoV-2
- Asymptomatic spread of SARS-CoV-2
- Pooled RT-PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 RNA is FDA-approved
- Rapid at home antigen tests exist and are sensitive enough to detect transmissible virus
- Aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV2
- Alternative NYC plans for phased re-opening, prioritizing younger grades first
- Younger children need in person learning more than older children
- COVID-19 morbidity for even mild cases
For those that have lived in a cave for the last 24 hours, Solidarity, led by Lydia Howrilka here) who did not have underlying medical conditions but lived in fear for those they lived one did. and represented in court by über teacher lawyer Bryan Glass won a Temporary Restraining Order for the five plaintiffs (Read decision 
