Big Apple parents started a rally on Saturday at an East Harlem playground, requesting immediate reopening of public schools that were in one place to roll back distance education.
About 100 pro-openers swallowed the Wagner Playground, mostly countered by about 50 people from the other side for civil, duel demonstrations.
“Like plants, children need to be outside,” said Megan Jha, a mother of four from Queens. “They need to see what life is like outside their home.”
Stephanie Felix, a resident of West Harlem and mother of three, said opening the school is an important step to regain normalcy amid the epidemic.
“Without school opening, free childcare, daycare – it’s the most important stuff to go back to normalcy,” she said. “Amazon and Alexa are my best friends. I check on my children, although there is a camera so that I can go back to work. it’s terrible. I’m not going to do that, but they need to eat, “she said, through tears.
But Paulette Healy, Bay Reese’s mother and resident, spoke for distance education.
“Vaccines are not the answer to reopening schools. If our child wants to take many medicines to get out of that door, how can you insist that child go back to school where the COVID is still growing? ” He asked.
The roping rally was organized by Harlem Jets and #KeepNYCSchoolsOpen; The counter-rally was organized in schools NYC by several groups including Alliance for Quality Education, The Movement of Rank and File Educations, and BLM.
Mayor candidate and self-described “frustrated public-school parent,” Andrew Yang joined the pro-opener to call Mayor Bill de Blasio “five days a week with extracurricular activities and athletics” to open the city’s schools.
“I was talking to a parent here who said he has a nephew in Long Island, who has been in school for months.” “Why is New York City failing their families to this degree?”
“Because of de Blasio!” Shouted a man in the crowd.
The mayor’s press secretary, Bill Nehardt, responded in a statement: “Andrew Yang should have known that Mayor de Blasio had already announced that the school would return in full force in September. It was Mayor de Blasio who gave the schools Opened when no other major city tried even months ago. We put the school first and that will never change. “
As he left the rally, Yang encountered a handful of parents who supported distance education.
“Our children are not your support!” Many shouted.
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