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Lunch Workers Union, School Aides Urge De Blasio To Delay NYC School Reopening
By
Sophia Chang
Published Aug 15, 2020
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By
Sophia Chang
Published Aug 15, 2020
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From the principal’s office to the lunch room, school staffers continue to register their unease over the impending reopening of New York City schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Local 372 DC 37 union, which represents nearly 23,000 Department of Education school aides, health aides, lunch cooks, lunch helpers, food loaders and handlers, crossing guards, substance abuse prevention and intervention specialists, family paraprofessionals, and parent coordinators, has also requested a delayed reopening.
This comes after the unions for principals and teachers officially requested that New York City public schools delay reopening for in-person learning. While no official first day of school has been announced, Mayor Bill de Blasio has said he’d like to see students back in class on September 10th.
In a letter sent to Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza on Wednesday, union President Shaun D. Francois I said his membership were higher-risk because many are older, with 33% of its membership over the age of 55, as well as a predominately Black and Latino workforce at 85% of the membership. The COVID-19 pandemic hit Black and Latino communities in New York City at higher rates than other communities.
About 43% of the union membership are essential workers -- namely, school lunch employees and school crossing guards were deemed essential workers by the DOE.
“As such [they] were mandated to nevertheless report to work, at the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic, while other city employees were permitted to work remotely from home,” Francois wrote.
The union asked for a delay of at least 30 days so that conditions can be improved in school buildings, staff can be trained in the heightened cleaning standards, and new air conditioners can be installed in all school kitchens.
Among the new protocols, Carranza had promised “electrostatic disinfectors” — similar to what the MTA uses to clean the subways — which he said “adds a whole other level of very sophisticated cleaning devices to what we're doing.”
"There is no provision for the training of the custodians on the proper and safe utilization of the electrostatic sprayer, safe handling of the chemicals and type of PPEs to be donned by the custodians or any other safety protocols,” Francois said in his letter. He also questioned how co-located schools will decide how to share space and clean the buildings.
DOE spokesperson Danielle Filson said training has been provided to the custodial staff on operating the electrostatic sprayer and handling disinfecting products, and the Local 32BJ union is preparing a training video paid for by the DOE.
“We are in constant communication with our union partners, and met with the leadership of DC37 as recently as Friday. Every school employee is a valued member of the DOE community, and the members of DC37 have been an integral part of our Regional Enrichment Centers and meal hub sites this summer. We will only open our doors if we meet the strict standards we’ve set, and protecting the health and safety of our students and staff has always driven our work together,” Filson said in a statement.
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COVID-19
coronavirus
schools reopening
Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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