By Dan Murphy
On December 21st Superintendent of Yonkers Public Schools Dr. Edwin Quezada sent a letter to the YPS community informing them that all instruction would become 100% remote from Jan. 4 until Jan. 8th. He also informed the community that while students would remain home, teachers and staff would continue to go to school to deliver instruction.
“While a holiday pause is most certainly a prudent step in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, one week simply is not enough time as we learned from the shortened pause after Thanksgiving break when numbers shot up. We must err on the side of caution and provide at least a two week pause,” said City Council President Mike Khader. “Moreover, the option to remain at home during remote instruction should also include teachers and staff. Our district has shown it is able to function 100 percent remotely, educators included. COVID has proven that it does not discriminate and we must do everything we can to keep everyone safe during these unprecedented times, while always adhereing to CDC guidelines.”
Yonkers Federation of Teachers President, Samantha Rosado-Ciriello says, “With nearly100 COVID positive cases in the weeks since Thanksgiving, 41% of which represent students, 59% representing staff and hundreds of individuals quarantined it is evident that a holiday pause for a minimum of 2 weeks with students learning remotely and staff having the option of teaching remotely from their homes is the safest approach for our community.”
“There are 21 other schools throughout Westchester County that have implemented a holiday pause giving teachers the option of working from home or from the school building, Yonkers Public Schools should follow suit,” said Councilwoman Shanae V. Williams. “The fact that we are leading in positive covid cases is exactly why a holiday pause is necessary. Let’s also keep in mind that children and instructional staff are also at risk of contracting the virus and so they should be protected at all costs. I commend the leadership at YFT and its members for bringing this matter to the forefront.”
“As education chair I support the pause as I see it being beneficial in combatting the spread,” said Councilwoman Tasha Diaz. “As numbers continue to rise I feel it would be proactive to coincide with our neighboring school districts for the betterment, safety, and well being for all. I look forward to pressing the reset button so our precious children can get back to some normalcy.”
Quezada’s letter to students, parents and staff, dated Dec. 21 includes, “To be proactive, which is what we have strived to do throughout this year, the District will implement the following after the Holiday Recess:
- Monday, January 4 and thru Friday, January 8, 2021 all instruction will be 100% Online Remote. This timeframe may need to be extended based on the number of positive COVID-19 cases. All students will remain home. All staff will be in schools to deliver instruction from their classrooms following all CDC and Department of Health guidelines. Grab and Go breakfast and lunch will be provided.
- Monday, January 11, 2021 Hybrid Instruction will resume. Students in Cohorts A and C will be in-person in schools. We understand this decision presents significant challenges for many families. Please remember we
will not compromise the health and well-being of our students and staff. This is an opportunity for us to ensure, to the best of our ability, continuous Hybrid Instruction from mid-January to June 2021 as well
as additional necessary repairs in schools. Please accept our apologies for all of the inconvenience this decision may create for you and your
family. Once again, may you have a Holiday Season filled with joy and peace,” end of Quezada letter.
Not everyone is in agreement with the three councilmembers and the YFT on a two-week pause. The CSEA union in the YPS wrote a lengthy letter explaining their members view, that they need to continue to work to survive. Read their letter in the next post.
