Bronx School District Leadership Against Outdoor Activities: Why

Principals of the Bronx school district would love to organize outdoor activities, but believe that this may be unsafe for the health and even life of children. The publication writes about it New York Post.

Nearly two dozen principals from the Bronx school district say they'd be happy to have outdoor classes if only they didn't have to worry about their students getting shot or picking up drug-used syringes from the ground.

The day after Mayor Bill de Blasio and School Chancellor Richard Carranza announced that school classes in New York could be held outdoors, the leadership of the 7th School District issued a statement on this matter.

Educators say their district is "caught in the grip of a wave of gun violence." They believe that it is simply not safe to conduct classes for schoolchildren on the street in such conditions. “A few days ago, a woman was shot and killed in front of one of our neighborhood schools (25-year-old Patricia Vasquez was killed in the early hours of the morning of August 22 near PS 1 and Alfred E. Smith HS in the 7th district. – Ed.), the letter says. “Most of the parks near the schools that we use during recess are owned by the parks department and have to be cleared daily of broken beer bottles, syringes and other drug paraphernalia.”

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On Tuesday, August 25, The Post found at least five syringes at PS 18 playground in the 7th arrondissement in the South Bronx and five more drug-used tools on the sidewalk outside. “Now we have to worry not only about the coronavirus, but also about HIV, AIDS and what else is out there,” said Keyia Brown, 42, a home care worker, and showed pictures of the syringes found. "It's definitely not safe, it's not a good environment for outdoor activities."

School officials in the Bronx, meanwhile, are worried as they don't know how to protect "students and staff from events that are out of our control due to high crime in the area."

The director of one of the District 7 schools, who wished to remain anonymous, said that in theory everything sounds good, but in practice it is much more difficult to organize classes for schoolchildren on the street in this area of ​​​​the city. “Many parks and surrounding areas are not in very good shape, especially lately,” the educator said, referring to the skyrocketing crime rate in the city. “It would have taken a lot more time and guidance to implement this than we were given.”

In addition, school leaders say the very notion of open classrooms further underscores "the gulf between the haves and have-nots in our city." “If you live in a good area, you have options. But this is not the case for many schools in the area,” said the principal of one of the district's educational institutions.

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As a result, many school principals continue to urge city officials to provide distance learning for children, rather than relying on a hybrid approach of part-time school attendance.

"We know this is an incredibly difficult time for school leaders across the city," City Hall spokeswoman Avery Cohen said. "We continue to work with our union partners to ensure a successful reopening and will not rest until every school has what it takes to start the school year safely."

Recall that the Mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio authorizes outdoor education in schools due to the coronavirus pandemic.

New York school principals have been required to develop and submit outdoor education plans by Friday, August 28. In particular, they should decide on streets, parks and sports grounds where it would be safe to conduct classes.