NYC Parents Pressure Mayor and Governor with 1k Signatures to Make a Plan for Fall In-person School Reopening

As NYC politicians delay the creation of a school reopening plan, a petition to pressure Mayor de Blasio, Governor Cuomo, Chancellor Carrenza and the City Council to create a plan for a safe, equitable return to in-person, 5-day school this fall has just garnered over 1,000 signatures from local parents and teachers. Justin Krebs, Secretary of the District 15 Parents Council, PS39 PA Executive Board member, and parent of three elementary school daughters organized the parent-led petition, part of a larger citywide movement of parents and teachers to return to in-person schooling. 

“Fall isn’t far away—it’s right around the corner,” said Krebs. “The educational response to the pandemic this past year has been extremely chaotic for students, teachers, administrators, and parents. Our kids can only thrive academically in the fall if we map out a game plan right now. Teachers and administrators will only be safe if we have a real plan for safety, staffing, facilities and citywide communication with parents in every community and in every language—and that means we needs a real plan for teacher training and support, a real plan for community engagement,  a real plan for equitable funding, a real plan for Covid testing, a real plan for outdoor learning, and a real plan for ventilation at every school in NYC. Enough is enough.”

Krebs created the petition called “Get NYC Schools Back In-Person 5-Days-A-Week This Fall!” Krebs called leaders to engage all NYC education stakeholders in crafting a safe reopening strategy and to use this opportunity to reimagine how schooling can incorporate individualized learning, smaller cohort opportunities, digital learning, and outdoor education. It would also include steps to close the digital divide, invest in additional tutors and teacher aides, and ensure multilingual communications about schooling.

“It's upsetting to see indoor dining and movie theaters reopening while our kids' education and mental health is on the backburner. I’m shocked that parents like me and teachers haven’t seen a real plan for how we’re going to get our kids back to school five days a week in the fall. We need to be working now toward a safe and complete school reopening program. Our kids shouldn’t have to lose another year to this pandemic,” said Liz Mahler (Parent, PS333).

“While educators and families across the city have pitched in incredible efforts to make the best of hybrid and remote learning, it is not a sustainable or equitable long term solution for student learning. The rich curriculum and resources that NYC teachers have spent years developing cannot be delivered through a screen,”  said Christina Rossi (Elementary School Teacher, PS 89). “Students cannot collaborate, problem solve, engage in dialogue and conduct fieldwork and teachers cannot differentiate work, support children or assess student learning. We are putting our students at a disadvantage, compromising the joys of learning and straining families and teachers to the limit if we do not get all of our students safely back into the classroom.” 

“It will be an enormous task to reopen our schools to capacity. Re-allocating teaching staff, re-imagining classroom and common spaces, generating funds, equipping school buildings with proper safety protocols and supporting families are hugely time intensive processes. Schools leaders need answers now to make this happen,” added Rossi.

This comes on the heels of Krebs being endorsed by 30 parent leaders across Brooklyn. Krebs is now supported by dozens of past and present PTA/PA presidents, PTA/PA executive board members, and School Leadership Team parent representatives from PS39, PS118, PS124, PS307, PS58, PS295, PS10, PS321, PS261, PS154, Brooklyn New School (PS146), MS447, MS839, the Cobble Hill Playschool, as well as other parent and school leaders. Krebs will also be hosting a virtual house party tonight, co-hosted by parent leaders across the district, to discuss schools and the City Council race with parents and other interested constituents. 

“It was a pleasure working with Justin on the board of our children’s cooperative preschool in Brooklyn and I personally nominated him to become the president of that board when it was time for me to move on,” said Jessie Schilling (Former President of Cobble Hill Playschool). “I have always believed in Justin's leadership abilities and in his commitment to education. That is why I am happily and enthusiastically endorsing Justin Krebs for City Council.” 

“I wholeheartedly support Justin Krebs for City Council.  Justin has worked tirelessly to help improve schools across the 39th district by engaging all stakeholders and developing plans that prioritize our children’s education,” said Madge Koch (SLT member and former PA Treasurer, PS39), “I have seen firsthand at PS 39 how he can quickly put his ideas into action leveraging his strong communication and management skills.  I believe Justin is the best candidate to support our school children and all New Yorkers as we recover from the pandemic and well into the future.”

*These parent leaders are endorsing Justin Krebs in their personal capacity, and not on behalf of any organization they are a part of. Their title and affiliation are provided for identification purposes only, and no endorsement by the organization should be implied.