Yonkers Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada, Board of Education President Rev. Steve Lopez and elected officials welcomed students and parents back into the classroom on Monday October 5.
Students returned to their local school for the first time since March of 2020 and have been learning remotely since then. Assembly Member Nader Sayegh and City Council Member Tasha Diaz distribute COVID-19 Care Packages to the returning students.
The YPS began the transition from 100% Online Remote instruction for all students to Hybrid Instruction following NY State Education and Health Departments guidance and social distancing guidelines. The transition is designed first and foremost to ensure the health and safety of every individual in school buildings.
“Children, more significantly urban children, thrive when they are in school taught by highly qualified, caring educators and supporting adults. Nothing can replace in-person teaching and learning. A recent District survey disclosed that more than two-thirds of our families want in-person instruction for their children. They want the stability provided by public schools. Our job is to ensure Yonkers students and families continue to have confidence that, despite the challenges, we will deliver the best education possible, as we have in the past,” noted Superintendent Quezada.
“Our parents, our educators, our community leaders, our elected officials, they want to see our schools reopen for children,” Quezada said, “And you know that I want this more than anything because there’s nothing more rewarding than having children in school — and we want to do it safely.”
Last week, The Yonkers Federation of Teachers released an open letter to the Yonkers Public Schools community to raise awareness of ongoing issues related to the reopening of school buildings this coming Monday for hybrid instruction.
In a letter to families from the YFT Executive Board, the union says district leaders still must address a litany of outstanding concerns, ranging from incomplete ventilation and window work to a lack of clear arrival, dismissal, bathroom, lunch and cleaning protocols that are necessary to protect the safety of every student. Other issues include inadequate access to personal protective equipment and insufficient protocols for identifying COVID cases and closing buildings to go to remote instruction where cases are identified.
YFT continues to advocate for a 14-day closure of any building in which there is a confirmed positive COVID case. “Let’s be honest that these are concerns that district leaders should have had in place months ago in order to safely reopen,” the letter states. “To be sure, there are and will continue to be issues that pop up throughout this year that we will have to address together.
“No matter the work ahead, we want to be unequivocally clear: Not even a global pandemic could break our commitment to children. We will continue to be there for Yonkers students.”
“Education in the time of COVID is nothing like any of us ever imagined we would experience in our careers. We know that a strain has been placed on many families, including our own. We want more than anything to return to normal. We miss our students, and we miss the opportunities to check in academically, socially, and emotionally with them in person.
“But even with months to plan, we believe district leaders still need to address the following:
-Uncompleted ventilation and window work at the school buildings that is essential for safer circulation in confined settings. HEPA filters need to be installed in classrooms that have outdated ventilation systems and too many windows remain broken or, in the worst cases,
bolted shut at this time.
-Lack of clear arrival, dismissal, bathroom, lunch, and cleaning protocols that include measures intended to protect the safety of every student.
-Inadequate access to personal protective equipment that must be provided by the district for students and staff. That includes correctly sized masks and N95, disposable and replacement gowns, and a dedicated isolation room.
-Insufficient protocols for identifying positive COVID cases and closing buildings to go to remote instruction where cases are identified. Yonkers educators continue to advocate for a 14-day closure of any building in which there is a confirmed positive COVID case, which would help reduce community spread.” wrote the YFT leadership & Board.
