We support the staff of Millennium Brooklyn High School (MBHS) in demanding that school begin with remote-only learning for fall 2020. A survey of staff shows that the overwhelming majority are not comfortable returning to the building. Too many of our teachers and staff are overwhelmed with fear and anxiety right now about the risks that they and our students will face upon return to our building. Many are very stressed to know that several concerns have not been applied to our school reopening plan, due to constraints that the DOE is imposing on administrations and other issues related to various facilities and logistical challenges. Ultimately, we do not think that blended learning can be done in a way that guarantees the safety of students and staff at this time as referenced in an open letter written by ​34 Principals of District 15​ -- district of MBHS. As educators and parents, we want a model that supports students in the safest way possible. Therefore, children and teachers should not be the first modeling of large indoor gatherings in NYC.

Our building, The John Jay Campus, is more than a hundred years old, and we have concerns about the building’s infrastructure and its capacity to guarantee proper and consistent ventilation. Although we have been told by Department of Education (DOE) that cleaning protocols will be intensified, the custodial budget for the DOE this year is the same as last. It is unclear where this additional labor for building sanitation will come from. The union that represents our building custodial engineers has cast ​serious doubt​ ​on the ability of DOE to make this shift. We also know the dominant way the virus is spread is by extended exposure indoors. The question is not ​if​ COVID-19 will spread in the schools upon reopening, but ​when​, and ​how fast.​

We all want to school to open in person. Teachers and staff miss students and the daily interactions of a typical school day. We recognize that remote learning is an imperfect substitute for the more dynamic, engaging, and supportive school environment that MBHS is known for. But, at this time, in-person learning is simply not safe. Families and staff should not have to make life or death decisions in the midst of a pandemic. Please sign our petition to demand that the NYC Department of Education adopt a fully remote model for the fall.