Blogger Eric Chasanoff Dies of COVID-19 at the age of 69

This afternoon, May 5, 2020, a wonderful human being died. Here is the post on Eric Chasanoff's blog from his son:

Tuesday, May 05, 2020

The Passing Of Chaz 1951-2020 Age 69

I am the son of Chaz and like to inform you that he passed away this afternoon from the COVID virus. My father passed in peace beside his loved ones. We are hoping to have a memorial service for him once we are able to, but for now we are going to have a small private family funeral. Thank you all for reading his blog, following him all these years, and the support you gave him. Thank you.

Eric Chasanoff, or as he is known from his popular and informative blog, "Chaz11.blogspot.com", was a close friend of mine and one of the kindest, smart, funny and yes, charming people I have met in my life. 

I don't remember when Eric and I met, because he was never in the re-assignment center at 25 Chapel Street, Brooklyn, a place I started visiting at least once if not more each week starting in 2003.I had met a teacher named David Pakter who told me to come and speak with the teachers there, so I did. I did not know that the general public, which I was, did not have access to the location but the guards at the door never stopped me. I became friends with the principal of 25 Chapel Street. Every re-assignment room had its own principal to oversee the room and everyone inside.

In 2007 I was hired to be UFT Special Representative for the re-assignment centers in NYC by Randi Weingarten. At that time there were 7 separate locations in every borough  nicknamed the "Rubber Rooms". Hence the name of this blog, which I started in 2007.

After being hired, I started visiting a teacher reassignment center (I called these locations "TRC"s for short) every day. I stayed all day, and listened to the stories and charges of the people held in these rooms. Eric Chasanofff was in the TRC in Queens. He was elected liaison to the UFT, kind of like a chapter leader. Every TRC elected a representative.

For three years 2007-2010 Eric and I sat together each and every month, at the UFT - 52 Broadway - on the 14th floor to discuss the re-assignment rooms in each borough. These monthly meetings were important guides to what was happening to the UFT members held inside, most without any information about what they were being charged with. All the Special Representatives of the UFT, Attorney Adam Ross, Staff Director Leroy Barr, and the Borough chiefs from each borough were there. 

The Queens location was the largest, so Eric, the Queens liaison, spoke alot. He was always prepared with details of everything going on with his people, and he consistently advocated for change to make the lives of the members better. Then he and I walked to the subway. We met socially many times, with our respective families.

Amy Arundell

I remember when I was told I had to move offices, which was fine with me, from the 16th floor where my office was sandwiched between Gene Rubin, chief for medical issues, and Amy Arundell, who seemed to be Representative for everything else. Only my new office did not get assigned quickly, so Eric told Leroy Barr at the end of one of the monthly meetings that I needed an office and a telephone, so let's go find it. Leroy looked totally surprised, but Eric was already walking to the elevator. We walked around the 16th floor and then the 11th floor, where a desk and available space was found. Eric made that happen.

Eric asked me to attend his disciplinary hearing (3020-a), which I did. I was there every day. His attorney was NYSUT attorney Eric Chen. The hearing took place 5 days in June-July 2010, and closing arguments were given on October 27 2010. Eric's charges were absurd, and the arbitrator agreed, giving him a small fine and not terminating him.

Indeed, at his hearing the investigator testified that what Eric was charged with was NOT misconduct. I use this for closing arguments in misconduct cases. Eric's case clearly showed how much of a set up the 3020-a charges were, and I started looking into the so-called "investigations" which led to 3020-a charges in more than 200 cases, all of which I have in my files. Eric and I had long discussions about this subject.

 Eric then became an ATR, travelling from school to school. Whenever I asked him how it was going, he always said "fine". He loved teaching and made the best of it. By all accounts, he was a fantastic science teacher and his students adored him. So I've heard. I believe it.

Whenever I got a call from a DOE employee (teacher, Guidance Counselor, Assistant Principal, paraprofessional, or whatever) who asked a question I could not answer, I called Eric. Eric was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge for me and many others. And, he always would have time to chat about the issues at hand.

I will miss him.

So will many other bloggers, teachers, and friends throughout New York City. Norm Scott's post is heartfelt:

"Chaz's School Daze:

An Independent Voice That Advocates For The Classroom Educator Without The Corrupting Politics Tied To Our Union And DOE Leadership 

***************************************************************

has been around forever and everyone involved in education in some way in NYC (and beyond) were readers for his honesty and truth. We didn't always agree politically - Chaz was on the conservative end - but he had everyone's respect, especially when it came to passionate defense of ATRS, of which he was one for many years.

I think I only met him a few times. The first time was when I and Angel Gonzalez put out a call for ATRs to gather at the Skylight Diner. ATRs filled the diner with about 50 people - it was overwhelming. Chaz was always there for ATRS.

A few years ago when the ICEUFT crew were still with MORE James and Arthur suggested we do a Saturday afternoon session for ATRS at CUNY with Chaz as the key speaker. I think about 30 ATRs showed and Chaz held center stage for hours answering every question with expertise. I remember thinking - if the UFT wasn't what it was they should hire him in a minute. Believe me - if they allowed a truth teller like Chaz to communicate with ATRS they would be in a much more popular position.

Here are the first tributes out from Arthur, James and Jonathon and I will add more to this space as they come in. They are much more eloquent than mine --- I seem to have lost the gift of gab, a combination of age and waiting for the apocalypse - wait - I think it's knocking on my door right now.

I hate to say RIP. Chaz at 69 was too young to go - the virus has taken it sad toll. Read 

·  ICEUFT Blog

BLOGGER CHAZ PASSES AWAY - There is very sad news to report. Our friend, blogger and long time colleague at Jamaica High School Eric Chasanoff (Chaz) has passed away. From his blog: ... 

 
I'd like to express my deepest sympathies to Eric's family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Eric and I go back many years. He was a longtime Earth Science Teacher at Jamaica High School. Not only was he a successful teacher, Eric was also a strong union activist. He stood up for what he believed in.

We served together for a number of years on Jamaica High School's School Leadership Team. Eric was a supporter of empowering the students and the parents. On the issue of school safety, he was able to help us establish school policies that ensured a safe building while still maintaining student rights. When it came to standing up for teachers, Eric was a staunch defender of the ability of the classroom teacher to have real autonomy in his/her classroom.

That robust defense of teachers sometimes put him in the crosshairs of the Principal who charged him unfairly. Eric was the first teacher to win a probable cause hearing. He defended himself and other falsely accused teachers brilliantly while waiting for his 3020-a hearing to take place. At that time, he became a Queens Liaison with the UFT. When his hearing came around, it was my pleasure to go and testify on his behalf.  I was able to tell the arbitrator how after Eric was pulled from Jamaica, the Earth Science Regents scores plummeted drastically. Our friend Francine Kaalund also testified about Eric's abilities in the classroom. He moved on after he won his hearing but we stayed in touch right up through the first part of 2020.

I encouraged him with his blog and he kept pushing me to keep this one going. We would sometimes run ideas passed each other on the phone. One idea was to have a real meeting of Absent Teacher Reserves where we could listen and talk to each other as regular teachers. We wouldn't talk down to ATRs as the UFT is often accused of doing.  Eric ran that forum in Manhattan; I mostly sat and watched. The workshop he led for ATR's was nothing like an official UFT ATR meeting. Eric ran it like a good Chapter Meeting. It was really interactive. He never once told an ATR that they were lucky to have a job.

Both the Jamaica High School family and the blogger community have suffered a big loss with Eric's passing. Rest in peace."

  

R.I.P. Eric. 

Betsy Combier, 
betsy.combier@gmail.com
Editor, ADVOCATZ.com
Editor, NYC Rubber Room Reporter
Editor, Parentadvocates.org
Editor, New York Court Corruption
Editor, National Public Voice
Editor, NYC Public Voice
Editor, Inside 3020-a Teacher Trials

Public Outrage in NYC Over $1 Billion Spent on ThriveNYC Program

Exactly how much money has Chirlane McCray, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio's wife, wasted on her ThriveNY Program?

My guess is we will never know the amount. Some say $1 billion, others several thousands of dollars - $ 1 million.

Whatever the amount is, almost every source of information about ThriveNY is in agreement that something is wrong. The numbers for funding and results are not there. With more than $34 million given to the education bottomless hole in 2019-2020, and no accountability, that's just ridiculous.

It seems that the money is NOT going to 280 city school food service workers who are considered 'essential', but IS going to new hires working in the offices of Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Richard Carranza.

What are you doing about this, Scott Stringer?

RANK Nepotism in New York City: The Mayor Appoints His Wife to the New NYC

Chirlane McCray’s embattled ThriveNYC gets overhauled

NYC Mayor's Removal Demanded By 2 City Council Members

Betsy Combier, betsy.combier@gmail.com
Editor, ADVOCATZ.com
Editor, NYC Rubber Room Reporter
Editor, Parentadvocates.org
Editor, New York Court Corruption
Editor, National Public Voice
Editor, NYC Public Voice
Editor, Inside 3020-a Teacher Trials 

Child advocates slam Chirlane McCray’s $1B ThriveNYC program

Julia Marsh, NY POST, May 4, 2020

First Lady Chirlane McCray’s $1 billion “ThriveNYC” mental-health program has failed to keep city students out of psych wards — and advocates are demanding something that actually works, The Post has learned.

The nearly $30 million that McCray’s controversial initiative pumped into the education system during the 2018-2019 school year did nothing to reduce the number of incidents for which cops were called and students were sent for psychiatric evaluations, official school safety data show.

The number — 3,547 — was unchanged from 2017-2018, even though ThriveNYC boosted its annual spending in city schools from $21.6 million to $29.2 million, according to a City Council financial document.

The disastrous results have led a coalition of 41 organizations — including Advocates for Children of New York, the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Legal Aid Society — to complain that ThriveNYC programs “do not provide direct, ongoing support to students in school.”

“They’re not working directly with students to help address the behavior. They’re not working directly with school staff, either,” said Dawn Yuster of Advocates for Children of New York.

Instead, the coalition is calling on Mayor Bill de Blasio to come up with $15 million in funding for a new program to provide one-on-one counseling for emotionally troubled students when they return to school in the fall.

The money, Yuster said, could come from “inefficiencies” in ThriveNYC’s budget, which critics have accused of failing to produce measurable results in helping New Yorkers cope with serious mental illness.

In addition to individual long-term counseling for the most troubled students, the coalition’s proposed “Mental Health Continuum” would providing coaching for teachers, family support and referrals to hospital-based mental health clinics.

Yuster said the plan was “ready to go” and would “meet the needs of students who need help the most.”

It would also help end the DOE’s practice of “continuing to call on the NYPD to remove thousands of them from class each year –- who sometimes even handcuff them as young as 5 years old,” she said.

Last week, de Blasio said his wife’s initiative would lead the effort to help students traumatized by the coronavirus pandemic when they return to school in September.

But Liz Haela, a special education teacher at Bronx middle school, said she wasn’t even aware that McCray’s program was in schools.

“Students will thrive if there are more service providers who can address their needs and develop relationships with them,” she told The Post.

McCray spokeswoman Siobhan Dingwall defended ThriveNYC’s work with city students and said additional assistance was planned.

“This administration has made historic investments in mental health and increased support in schools,” Dingwall said.

“We agree that we need to build upon this already significant work to ensure we are meeting the greater needs of students as they return to school. The Department of Education is developing a strategy, planning to meet with advocates in the coming week, and details of the plan will be shared soon.”

McCray and Carranza to implement embattled ThriveNYC programs in schools

Julia Marsh, NY POST, April 29, 2020

Chirlane McCray’s embattled mental health plan ThriveNYC has been tasked with helping students traumatized by the coronavirus pandemic — despite criticism that the $1 billion program is costly and ineffective.

“The first lady and the chancellor are working together to take a lot of the initiatives that have been created through Thrive and apply them in the coming months with our kids remotely, but also to start the planning for September,” Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday at a joint press conference with McCray.

“We understand that in September there’s going to be a challenge in terms of mental health for our kids that is absolutely unprecedented and we’re going to have to do a lot in every school to support kids who have obviously been traumatized,” de Blasio said.

“As we get closer to the opening of school definitely a plan is going to be put out on mental health services in all schools for September and the first lady and the chancellor will be working on that together,” de Blasio said.

City Councilman Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island) blasted the move, saying that it’s an effort to boost the profile of McCray who mulling a run for Brooklyn Borough President.

“At this point he is just trolling us and shifting taxpayer funds to the control of his unqualified and unelected wife in the hopes Brooklynites are blind enough to support her for borough president,” Borelli said.

Other critics from City Comptroller Scott Stringer to City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, both Democrats, have said ThriveNYC spends millions of taxpayer dollars without ensuring that people with the most severe mental health issues receive treatment.

During the mayor’s briefing, McCray said teachers are being trained in “social emotional learning,” to help kids manage their feelings. Teachers are also working with students online to deal with their “emotional needs” during the COVID-19 crisis, McCray said.

“In the fall we hope to have a more expanded program because we know that so many of our young people are going to come back in distress. But we haven’t stopped doing anything we’re already doing. We’re doing what we can virtually. Training the teachers, bringing them up to speed so that they will be ready in September,” McCray said.

Reps for McCray could not immediately provide details about what ThriveNYC programs would be integrated into schools.

Dawn Yuster, with the nonprofit Advocates for Children of NY, urged the first lady and chancellor to consult with experts before finalizing their plans.

“As the city charts out a plan to address student mental health, it is more dire than ever that the administration launch a program targeted to students with significant mental health challenges pre-dating, and exacerbated by, the trauma of the pandemic who require a higher level of integrated services to succeed in school,” said Yuster,

“A diverse group of students, educators, parents, and advocates stand ready to work with the administration to advance this critical budget priority that will fill this significant service gap,” she said.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Orders All Schools and Colleges To Remain Closed Through The End of the Academic Year

Finally Governor Andrew Cuomo did what everyone knew he would but also knew that he had to leverage his power in New York above that of NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, who told everyone in a press conference that all NYC schools would remain closed for the remainder of the school year.

See here:
New York City Educators Need To Protest the Opening of Schools and Re-Starting 3020-a Hearings

NYC v Cuomo: NYC Public Schools Will Remain Closed Through the End of June 2020..or, Maybe They Will Re-Open

Yeysterday I heard that there will be no 3020-a hearings in the month of May, so the month of June is still a question. As NYSUT almost always conducts pre-hearings over the telephone, if you have been charged and have a NYSUT Attorney representing you, contact your attorney by phone and email that you want/don't want your hearing to proceed at this time. This is your choice. Send your choice to your attorney via email, to preserve your rights.

If you have received 3020-a disciplinary charges, please contact me at betsy.combier@gmail.com with the email heading "3020-a". I am currently rounding up data on how many cases are proceeding anyway, old or new, despite schools being closed. 

My clients and Advocatz are declining to pursue attending the hearings at 100 Gold because of safety concerns. NYSUT and the DOE seem to want to put their speedy trial timelines above health. We are not agreeing to this. 

These guys need to grow up and start caring about the human beings they control.

Betsy Combier, betsy.combier@gmail.com
Editor, ADVOCATZ.com
Editor, NYC Rubber Room Reporter
Editor, Parentadvocates.org
Editor, New York Court Corruption
Editor, National Public Voice
Editor, NYC Public Voice
Editor, Inside 3020-a Teacher Trials 

Cuomo: Schools and colleges to remain closed through end of academic year

By Newsday Staff

Updated May 1, 2020 12:28 PM

New York schools and colleges will remain closed for the rest of the academic year, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Friday.

Cuomo had ordered schools statewide to be shut in mid-March. He later extended that closure to May 15.

A decision on summer school will be made by the end of this month, Cuomo said.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had said last month that the city's public schools would be closed through the end of the academic year. But at the time, Cuomo pushed back, saying such a decision would have to be made in coordination with the entire metropolitan area.

De Blasio said Friday, "The governor understands that I fundamentally believe it is not safe to bring back New York City public schools for this academic year, period."

Cuomo on Friday also reported an additional 289 COVID-19 deaths in the state.