The Omicron variant is hitting us hard. It may be called 'mild' by a few because the risk of serious symptoms is a bit lower than previous strands in percentage. However, Delta is 10 times as contagious as the original strand, but Omicron is 50 times as contagious! As more people are infected, more serious symptoms arise. Long COVID, when COVID symptoms are chronic (lasting 2 months or even 2 years), is also a problem caused by Omicron.

Many counties in New York state have already taken the responsible and correct choice to protect students and staff by shifting completely to, or offering an option of, remote learning, even though these counties are much less affected by Omicron compared to NYC!

And yet, NYC schools are still open. The mayor of NYC is pledging to keep schools open, without a remote option. Governor Kathy Hochul has the power to close down NYC schools, even if the mayor continues to favor schools being open and in-person only over the lives of our fellow humans who are forced to take unnecessary and undoubtedly serious risks and involuntarily put others in danger. It's not about politics. It's about invaluable lives.

Currently, the number of daily COVID cases is at the highest point, higher than in the previous peaks since the start of the pandemic. The number of deaths, in New York alone, is also concerning.

New York State canceled the January 2022 Regents - but why? - because of "high COVID infection rates" - and yet, schools are open for everyone, even students who were not going to take a January Regents, during what was going to be Regents week... it's contradictory and it doesn't make sense.

Ultimately, more lives are harmed, many are even ended (COVID deaths).
New York has been and continues to be the epicenter of the Omicron outbreak as of December 2021.

Schools are a perfect breeding ground for COVID, and no matter what you do, you still have a higher risk of being infected, and worse, infecting grandparents and people who are high-risk, outside of school.

Fully vaccinated, even 'boosted,' persons are still vulnerable to Omicron. Children are also affected, and they can easily act as carriers and infect high-risk individuals, even if they have no symptoms!

New York City mayor Erik Adams claims that school is the 'safest place' for students. While that may be true for some, it is surely untrue for all students, many of whom are able to learn from home and are much safer at home than at school in regards to COVID-19.

An option of choosing to be fully remote or in-person allows parents to choose the safer possible route for them and their children.
It is a given that parents know their children best, and they know what's best for their children; uncomparably better than the mayor or the DOE chancellor.

Many New York State and NYC government officials and staff members (and of course, in the private sector) are currently teleworking from home, and yet their kids are forced to go to school and risk lives, by the same entities (NYS and NYC)? This doesn't make sense as their kids can easily spread COVID (especially Omicron) to them at home! Besides, SCHOOL IS MUCH MORE DANGEROUS THAN THE OFFICE WORKPLACE IN REGARDS TO COVID, ESPECIALLY OMICRON!

Therefore, WE DEMAND AN IMMEDIATE FULLY-REMOTE OPTION FOR NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS!