According to the NY Times, Covid cases in NY have increased by 283% in the last 2 weeks. Yet, teachers are expected to get back into overcrowded and poorly ventilated classrooms. NYC, the DOE and Achievement First have all promised to increase testing and safety precautions but these promises have been empty in the past and they are empty now.  

We are currently expected to work in unsafe environments without clear quarantine guidelines and without PPE supplies recommended by the CDC (KN95 mask, COVID test and administration, soap in bathrooms, etc). Our schools and classrooms are overcrowded and poorly ventilated which makes it impossible to safely social distance or perform sufficient contact tracing. We are overwhelmed, understaffed and unprepared to safely educate our students

Achievement First loves to talk data so here are some numbers from the NYC Health department. In East NY -where AF has 8 schools- case rates of COVID are DOUBLE that of NYC and death rates are TRIPLE. 

Reopening schools now without slowing down and coming up with a plan that ACTUALLY keeps our community safe is criminal and immoral.