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| Students socially distance as they wait to go inside the One World Middle School at 3750 Baychester Ave. in the Bronx on Oct. 1, 2020. (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News) |
Parents and teachers in NYC will have to reach a level of trust in the information that all measures have been taken to provide health and safety to all who go back to NYC buildings, in this case, all middle schools.
How many parents, teachers, staff have heard of the "Situation Room"? Send me a comment to this blog if you have, and what happens inside.
Parents we spoke to are skeptical of anything the NYC DOE says. Grades are still being inflated, many students are getting high grades without doing any work, testing is non-existent, and information is too little or none about important information such as whether nurses are available on-site, how many kids do not, will not, or cannot, wear masks and other important topics.
Teachers are also aware of the misinformation coming out of Tweed, the NYC DOE headquarters, that all safety measures have been taken.
The bottom line is, all stakeholders must believe that the city government is not just trying to get funding streams working again.
Whether this will happen is an unknown.
City Has Lost Contact With 2,600 Students Since March
City Has Lost Contact With 2,600 Students Since March
City Has Lost Contact With 2,600 Students Since MarBetsy Combier
Editor, Parentadvocates.org
Editor, New York Court Corruption
Editor, National Public Voice
Editor, NYC Public Voice
Editor, Inside 3020-a Teacher Trials
Dear Middle School Families,
I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. I am writing to you today with an exciting update: we will be reopening our middle schools for in-person learning on Thursday, February 25.
Since the beginning of the school year, I have heard from many of you who are eager to have your child return to a physical classroom. We are pleased that we can now re-open our buildings to students in grades 6, 7, and 8 in a manner that prioritizes health and safety, while offering the educational experience of learning with our dedicated educators in person.
We have developed strong practices to help
keep school communities healthy and safe, and to maximize in- person learning
time for students learning in our buildings. Here is what you need to know
about how your school will return to in-person learning:
Weekly COVID-19 Testing and Mandatory Consent
· All schools will have 20% of students and
staff randomly tested on a weekly basis.
· All students who have not already done so are
required to provide consent for testing by their first scheduled in-person
learning day in order to learn in person.
· Families are encouraged to submit consent
through your NYC Schools Account at mystudent.nyc prior to their child’s first day of in-person learning.
If you already have a NYCSA account linked to your student(s):
· Log in, click your student’s name, click
“Manage Account,” and then when a dropdown menu appears, click “Consent Forms.”
· Read the page, and then choose the consent
option at the end for your student.
If you do not already have a NYCSA account:
· You can create one right away! If you have an
account creation code from your school, you can create a full account in approximately
five minutes, and then provide consent as described above.
· If you do not have an account creation code
from your school, you can still provide your consent right away by clicking
“Manage Consent” under “COVID-19 Testing” and filling out your and your child’s
information to provide consent.
· You can also print and submit the form
attached to this letter.
· Students who do not submit consent will be
immediately transitioned to fully remote learning.
Learning Preference & In-Person Schedule
Those of you who chose blended learning as
your child’s learning preference, either prior to the beginning of the school
year or during the November opt-in period, will soon be contacted by your
child’s school with their new schedule.
If you previously selected blended learning but wish to stay fully remote, you may do so by changing your preference as soon as possible at https://www.nycenet.edu/surveys/learningpreference.
Attendance
Please note that students in blended learning
are required to attend in-person on a consistent basis. Your school
will reach out if your child is not attending in-person regularly, and will transition your child to fully remote learning if irregular in-person attendance continues. This will allow schools to maximize in-person instructional
days for students who are attending in-person.
If You Travel
Please remember that students and staff who
have recently traveled outside of New York to a place on the
State’s travel advisory list must quarantine
for 10 days, or test out of the 10-day quarantine based on the State’s
guidance, which can be found at https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-travel-advisory.
· DOE students continue to have access to priority testing at H+H sites across the city; a list of sites can be found here: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-year-20-21/return-to-school-2020/health-and- safety/covid-19-testing.
No matter where your child is learning, we are
committed to ensuring they receive a strong, supportive education. We know how
important school is for your student, whether blended or remote—and our
dedication to them remains unwavering during this challenging time.
Sincerely,
Richard A. Carranza
Chancellor
New York City Department of Education
NYC Middle Schools Will Restart In-Person Classes February 25
New York City middle schools will restart in-person classes on Feb. 25 after more than three months of remote-only school, officials announced Monday.
The public junior highs have been closed for in-person instruction since the middle of November when the entire school system was briefly shuttered because of rising COVID-19 rates.
Officials reopened preschools, elementary schools, and District 75 programs for students with complex disabilities at the beginning of December with increased testing, but said they needed more time to plan the logistics of middle and high school reopening.
Schools with in-person classes are required to test 20% of students and staff on-site each week. Officials say they now have the testing capacity to extend that regimen to middle schools.
Officials said they’ll also add staff to the “situation room” — a clearinghouse for recording school-based COVID-19 cases and relaying information to contact tracers.
Temporary school closures triggered by multiple COVID-19 cases in the same school building have become commonplace since the partial reopening in early December.
Roughly 62,000 students in grades six to eight had signed up for in-person classes before the school system shuttered in November.Situation Room - NYC DOE Press Release:
City Launches Department of Education COVID-19 Situation RoomNYC Middle Schools Will Restart In-Person Classes February 25
New York City middle schools will restart in-person classes on Feb. 25 after more than three months of remote-only school, officials announced Monday.
The public junior highs have been closed for in-person instruction since the middle of November when the entire school system was briefly shuttered because of rising COVID-19 rates.
Officials reopened preschools, elementary schools, and District 75 programs for students with complex disabilities at the beginning of December with increased testing, but said they needed more time to plan the logistics of middle and high school reopening.
Schools with in-person classes are required to test 20% of students and staff on-site each week. Officials say they now have the testing capacity to extend that regimen to middle schools.
Officials said they’ll also add staff to the “situation room” — a clearinghouse for recording school-based COVID-19 cases and relaying information to contact tracers.
Temporary school closures triggered by multiple COVID-19 cases in the same school building have become commonplace since the partial reopening in early December.
Roughly 62,000 students in grades six to eight had signed up for in-person classes before the school system shuttered in November.
September 14, 2020
Multi-agency partnership provides a single point-of-contact for rapid information sharing and response to COVID-19 cases in schools
NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chancellor Richard A. Carranza today announced the opening of the DOE COVID Response Situation Room—a multi-agency partnership between the Department of Education, Department of Health and Mental Health, and the Test & Trace Corps—to facilitate a rapid response to positive COVID-19 cases in public schools. The Situation Room provides a single point-of-contact between schools and agency partners responsible for performing both testing, contact tracing, and ensuring the appropriate interventions are being taken by school communities.
“The Situation Room is the precise system we need to identify, trace, and treat positive cases within our school communities,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “My pledge is simple: every case will be met with swift and decisive action to keep transmission low and our kids and teachers safe.”
This unprecedented school year requires all hands on deck, and that’s exactly what we’ll have in the Situation Room, resulting in quick, decisive action for our schools and clarity and transparency for all families,” said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza. “ Our principals will now have a one-stop shop to raise concerns and receive rapid, coordinated responses that put the health and safety of our school communities first.”
“Keeping our students and teachers safe requires an unprecedented response to an unprecedented time. Through our multi-agency partnership, we are ensuring a clear path of communication, decisiveness, and transparency to give Principals and school leaders incorrect information they need in order to lead their communities as well as providing families and staff with the transparency and clarity of action they deserve. Our focus is the health and wellbeing of our school communities and we will achieve this together.” said Buildings Commissioner Melanie E. La Rocca.
Beginning today, school leaders can call the Situation Room if they receive notice from a staff member, student, or parent/family member of a positive COVID-19 test or if a student or staff member is isolating or sent home with symptoms. School leaders are encouraged to contact the Situation Room if they have any alerts, questions, or concerns related to responding to suspected or confirmed cases.
Upon reporting a possible case to the Situation Room, DOHMH will verify the case and, if needed, trigger a Test + Trace investigation. Case response will begin within three hours for NYC residents, with documented cases being confirmed as quickly as 15 minutes. Schools will communicate to all families and students within school anytime a case is laboratory-confirmed and what next steps need to be taken - including whether or not students and staff need to quarantine or if the school will be temporarily shut down.
The Situation Room will be open Monday through Friday, 5:30 AM – 9:30 PM, and Sunday, 11:00 AM – 9:30 pm. Response to reported cases will follow the previously announced health and safety policies found here.
In the interest of the health and safety of our entire city, DOHMH recommends that all New Yorkers get tested, whether or not they have symptoms or are at increased risk. School staff and students can receive free, expedited COVID-19 testing at 22 city-run testing locations. Testing is one component of stopping the spread that, when combined with social distancing, face coverings, proper hand hygiene, and staying home when you are sick, can significantly decrease the risk of transmission.
September 14, 2020
Multi-agency partnership provides a single point-of-contact for rapid information sharing and response to COVID-19 cases in schools
NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chancellor Richard A. Carranza today announced the opening of the DOE COVID Response Situation Room—a multi-agency partnership between the Department of Education, Department of Health and Mental Health, and the Test & Trace Corps—to facilitate a rapid response to positive COVID-19 cases in public schools. The Situation Room provides a single point-of-contact between schools and agency partners responsible for performing both testing, contact tracing, and ensuring the appropriate interventions are being taken by school communities.
“The Situation Room is the precise system we need to identify, trace, and treat positive cases within our school communities,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “My pledge is simple: every case will be met with swift and decisive action to keep transmission low and our kids and teachers safe.”
This unprecedented school year requires all hands on deck, and that’s exactly what we’ll have in the Situation Room, resulting in quick, decisive action for our schools and clarity and transparency for all families,” said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza. “ Our principals will now have a one-stop shop to raise concerns and receive rapid, coordinated responses that put the health and safety of our school communities first.”
“Keeping our students and teachers safe requires an unprecedented response to an unprecedented time. Through our multi-agency partnership, we are ensuring a clear path of communication, decisiveness, and transparency to give Principals and school leaders incorrect information they need in order to lead their communities as well as providing families and staff with the transparency and clarity of action they deserve. Our focus is the health and wellbeing of our school communities and we will achieve this together.” said Buildings Commissioner Melanie E. La Rocca.
Beginning today, school leaders can call the Situation Room if they receive notice from a staff member, student, or parent/family member of a positive COVID-19 test or if a student or staff member is isolating or sent home with symptoms. School leaders are encouraged to contact the Situation Room if they have any alerts, questions, or concerns related to responding to suspected or confirmed cases.
Upon reporting a possible case to the Situation Room, DOHMH will verify the case and, if needed, trigger a Test + Trace investigation. Case response will begin within three hours for NYC residents, with documented cases being confirmed as quickly as 15 minutes. Schools will communicate to all families and students within school anytime a case is laboratory-confirmed and what next steps need to be taken - including whether or not students and staff need to quarantine or if the school will be temporarily shut down.
The Situation Room will be open Monday through Friday, 5:30 AM – 9:30 PM, and Sunday, 11:00 AM – 9:30 pm. Response to reported cases will follow the previously announced health and safety policies found here.
In the interest of the health and safety of our entire city, DOHMH recommends that all New Yorkers get tested, whether or not they have symptoms or are at increased risk. School staff and students can receive free, expedited COVID-19 testing at 22 city-run testing locations. Testing is one component of stopping the spread that, when combined with social distancing, face coverings, proper hand hygiene, and staying home when you are sick, can significantly decrease the risk of transmission.