#Influential teachers union group rejects City Hall’s school reopening plan

An influential group of city teachers has rejected Mayor de Blasio’s proposed reopening of school buildings in September  — and isn’t ruling out a strike as a last resort.

The Movement of Rank and File Educators caucus of the United Federation of Teachers has already collected nearly 4,000 signatures demanding that schools remain locked until New York has no new COVID cases for 14 days.

The group is also calling for heightened safety precautions and greater funding allocations.

“Our hope is that the DOE, the mayor, the governor will listen to us and change their planned proposal for September so that we aren’t put in a position where we have to consider striking,” said teacher Liat Olenick during a Wednesday press conference

“That last resort is there but we hope we don’t have to use it,” she said.

The group stressed that health concerns remain unresolved and asserted that the Department of Education didn’t conduct adequate outreach with teachers.

“The city and UFT leadership had five months to hold meetings with staff, students and families to collect creative ideas, concerns and feedback.  Instead, they sent out one multiple choice, poorly advertised survey and came up with a plan that will put staff, students, and families in danger,” the rank-and-file educator’s group, also known as MORE, said in a statement.

A petition listing the group’s reopening imperatives cautioned that a resumption of classroom learning will endanger kids and teachers.

“As educators, parents and students, we know that remote learning is a poor substitute for in person learning,” the petition states. “We know how desperately working caregivers need childcare. And we know how important it is to get children back to in-person learning But the unfortunate reality is that it will not be safe to go back into classrooms this fall for teachers, staff, students, their families or our communities.”

MORE’s press conference featured teachers, students and others who oppose Mayor de Blasio’s proposed September 10 reopening plan that would have kids alternate between remote and building instruction.

Teacher Emily Choi, who said she contracted the virus and is still recovering, argued that City Hall’s plan is premature and will subject kids to further upheaval.

“Mandating a physical return to school, in just 6 weeks, will confuse many children and put undue stress on those of us tasked with enforcing social distancing practices especially knowing how young children naturally want to socialize and be physically close to one another,” she said.

Special education teacher Karla Reyes contended that the school reopening was being hastened for economic reasons.

“The pressure to reopen schools haphazardly is based completely on the pressure to reopen the economy to reap profits for the rich,” she said.

The press conference also featured a Bronx nurse and city parent who said he would not send his kid into a city school building if safety needs aren’t addressed.

“It will kill teachers,” said Sean Petty. “It will probably kill hundreds of teachers. It will make hundreds of children sick.”

He also highlighted the outsize toll the virus has had on African-American and Hispanic New Yorkers.

“There is no way in hell that I am sending my child back to in person public schooling in this city and I am advising all public school parents to do the same,” he said.

De Blasio has had to balance competing positions on reopening and has emphasized the looming plight of parents who will soon face work conflicts if their kids are not in school.

A Department of Education spokeswoman said that teachers can seek exemptions.

“Health and safety come first, and our plans for the fall are built with input from our public health experts and survey data from our families and staff,” said Danielle Filson. “We understand that there are varying levels of comfort around returning to buildings, which is why families can opt-in to fully remote learning and educators can request an accommodation to meet their health needs.”