Sussman Issues Second Letter Citing Ongoing Educational Disparities
By Dan Murphy
‘Show Me a Hero’ attorney Michael Sussman has penned another letter to Mayor Mike Spano and Yonkers Public Schools, (YPS) Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada, on behalf of Yonkers Parents Seeking Solutions, (YPSS), claiming ongoing educational disparities in the YPS.
“There is no doubt that Covid-19 continues to exacerbate systemic educational issues already in place in the City of Yonkers. As usual, the brunt of this falls on the most oppressed communities: undocumented, Black, Latinx, POC, indigenous, poor, LBGTQ, and people with disabilities. Consequently, students from oppressed communities are losing out on the proper education they deserve. Students from these communities are well into this academic year without the proper support and resources they need, denying them an equal access to education.”
Sussman addresses five different concerns in his letter, the most urgent in our view is the lack of online devices (tablets, laptops) for many YPS students. This issue is under dispute, with parents and Sussman claiming that every student does not have a device, while the YPS claims that every student who needs a device can contact the school district and they will get one.
Sussman writes, “students who choose to attend school in-person only do so two days per week and must work remotely the other three days. This means that every student in YPS needs access to reliable, appropriate technology to join their classes and complete their assigned work. Despite this reality and the fact that many families have more than one child in school, YPS has distributed only one laptop per family. Since 75% of the district’s families live below the poverty level and many are likely unable to purchase their own technology, this policy has left thousands of students unable to access the free and appropriate education to which they are entitled. I understand that Mayor Spano has promised that each student would receive a laptop so as to properly access education. But this has not happened with serious consequences.
“Members of the Yonkers Parents Seeking Solutions (YPSS) have advised that their effort to obtain precise information has been thwarted, but the district has represented that 8,000 laptops have been distributed. In this context, some families have resorted to their cellular devices to participate in remote learning. …Yonkers has powerful allies in Albany…the provision of equal education opportunity remains the legal responsibility of the state and the city,” writes Sussman, in letter dated January 18.
In his first letter to YPS in October 2020, Sussman estimated that between “4,500 and 10,000 of the school district’s nearly 28,000 students are unable to participate in their virtual classrooms.”
Last October, the response from YPS was that 1,900 students needed a device, and 5,300 laptops had already been given out, with another 4,000 on the way for delivery. Due to a high demand for laptops across the county, the district was still waiting for those devices to come in last December.
Now, in January of 2021, the same concerns have been raised by parents, Sussman and YPSS. “We never received an answer to the questions in Mr. Sussman’s first letter, and children are unable to fully access their education online, because of a lack of devices,” said Christine Peters, a parent and member of YPSS.
“We have tried to get information from the school district about how many students need a device and how many multiple student homes are present. In those homes, additional devices are essential, but the policy is to give out one device per family.” Said Peters, who added that in prior conversations with the district and the Superintendent, “they claim that they were under no affirmative obligation to provide a device (tablet or chromebook) to every student because they are not a 1:1 district. But what we still don’t know is do they (YPS) have an analysis of how many students need a device. How many are working on mobile devices and inadequate devices for full educational access? This information has never been released to YPSS or to the public. Do they even have this information?”
Another YPS parent, Zafiro Acevedo, has been spending the past 10 months helping other YPS parents, some of whom are undocumented and don’t have the knowledge about how to navigate the educational system.
“The majority of the immigrant and undocumented families are very noble, and they will not argue if told they can only have one device per family. But if there are 3 or 4 students in a household, the oldest child will use the device, the 2nd oldest child will use a cell phone and any other children do not get to go to school online for that day.
“These people are the backbone of our community, but they are vulnerable because the parents must go to work during COVID, they have no choice. They are getting the virus and bringing it home to their children. And their children have to go to school and can’t learn from home because there is nobody to teach them how to learn online and they don’t have enough devices.
“The parents tell their teachers that they don’t have enough devices for their children and the teachers go to the Principal or Assistant Principal and that’s it, nothing gets done. That’s why they have to come in for hybrid.
“In many cases, the grandparents stay with the children while the parents go to work. And the grandparents don’t know how to help with online learning. It is difficult enough for these students to learn even if they had a device.”
“And I understand that the Superintendent wants the students to come back to school, but the hybrid plan calls for two days a week or three days a week in class. My question to the Superintendent is what about the thousands of students who don’t have a device for the other 2 or 3 days a week when there is no in class learning? What are they supposed to do?”
“In the State of Connecticut, they got enough devices for all low-income students, so it’s not about money, its about the decisions made by this Superintendent. He is the one who is charge, and we all knew about this pandemic, and the schools were closed in March. He had the whole summer to figure this out and order enough devices for everyone. He didn’t get it done. Why not? I can’t answer that,” said Acevedo, who had an “angel” come forward to donate 10 laptops to students who needed them. She handed out the devices in less than a day.
“There is a need for laptops in the community of Southwest Yonkers. If I had 100 laptops right now, I would give them to families who need another one, and they would be gone.”
Another parent and YPSS member Carolyn Solieri, said that students and parents “do not have the devices they need, and parents have to decide which of their children gets to learn today. It’s a horrible choice. The only politicians who have done anything about this are our county legislators from Yonkers, they have earmarked $9,000 to purchase laptops.
“Who can we hold accountable? The Superintendent? The Mayor? We spoke to the Mayor on a Zoom call last year and he said that every student who needs one will get a device. That hasn’t happened, and we still don’t have an accurate accounting of how many students really need one. I want the Mayor to hold the Superintendent accountable., said Carolyn.
Peters and YPSS wanted to start a fund-raising drive to raise money and donations for new laptops and Chromebooks. But that effort never got off the ground because the district was telling everyone they have enough devices.
But several ‘Angels’ in Yonkers have stepped forward. Nancy Maldonado, who recently lost her son, Jonathan. donated 6 laptops in his memory. Maddie Deemarie Cheatham Walker, of Pamela’s Big Heart Foundation in partnership with Loyalty Foundation—has also been raising funds and collecting laptops and recently ran out.
But more devices are needed, and that is the quandary that Peters , Solieri and Acevedo face. Anyone who wants to help or donate can contact YCAP.org. Donations can be made online, or mail a check to YCAP, 20 South Broadway, Yonkers NY 10701. Or Email me at dmurphy@risingmediagroup.com and I will put you in touch with Peters and Solieri.
Editor’s Note: YPS Superintendent Quezaa is expected to have a response with the next two days. We will feature that when it becomes available.
