NYC teachers blame Mayor de Blasio for spreading coronavirus
March 24, 2020
By Victor Skinner
Teachers in New York City are blaming Mayor Bill de Blasio and his education chief, Richard Carranza, for helping to spread the coronavirus by leaving students and staff in the dark about reported cases.
Officials with the state education department issued a directive on March 9 that encouraged schools with positive cases of coronavirus to shut down for at least a day “in order to begin an investigation to determine the contacts that the individual may have had within the school environment,†but critics contend city officials ignored the advice and put students and staff at risk, the New York Post reports.
At least five teachers at Brooklyn Technical High School reported positive coronavirus test results to officials with the United Federation of Teachers a full week before the city finally closed schools on March 16. It was a similar situation at the Grand Street campus, Jamaica High School, Grace Dodge High School, and the Alfred E. Smith campus, according to the news site.
“The DOE did not close the school for any of the cases,†UFT chapter leader Nate Bonheimer said. “They did not alert the people who needed to know the most to protect themselves, their families and everyone else they came into contact with.â€
http://eagnews.org/nyc-teachers-blame-mayor-de-blasio-for-spreading-coronavirus/
