We may be able to help Jedediah New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio warning parents that a shutdown could be imminent, but despite the mayors, cautioning one charter, school superintendent says they will hold in person classes until there is, is a state mandate to close writing in an op ed school closures are devastating vulnerable children lose access to education, students lose hard, won academic gains and face social isolation. Here wanting to keep his classes in the classroom, superintendent of schools, Emily Porter, welcome to the show, thoughts on keeping schools open. Many parents are fear they shut down. Again. Parents are left without a plan here. What are your thoughts? I feel like education is essential. It is amazing. Eight months into this pandemic were still prioritizing bars and restaurants and gyms and shutting down schools before we

shut down bars, restaurants and gyms. We know that education is essential. We know that our students, especially the most vulnerable students, are suffering when schools are closed down. I think it is essential we make schools open even more than that. I think we demonstrated we have districts across the country who demonstrated schools can be safely opened for our own schools, partnership, schools, we run catholic schools in New York, City and Cleveland, and we have been safely open for ten weeks. Just like schools throughout the Archdiocese of New York, we havent had any evidence of community spread. There is a way to safely do this, given how important both to the children we serve. Parents we serve to the economy. I think it is important that were prioritizing education, Jedediah yeah. You know it has been hard to find unanimous consent on anything when it comes to Covid, because it is so new. The vast majority of people are coming out saying. Schools are not super spreaders. These are not places that youre, seeing that

it is quite odd. Decisions are made with respect to schools. I want to ask you about: is: did heartened families are yanking, their kids out of public schools. Look at the numbers right now put it up on the screen. Thirty one thousand less students enrolled in New York City public schools. This year, one thousand students switched from public to catholic schools in New York City. What do you make of these numbers? What do you say to parents who are feeling like they dont have options because catholic schools and either forms of education can be expensive, and not everyone can afford that alternative. That is exactly right. This pandemic laid bare, particularly in education. Parents need choice right now in states like New York, where parents do not have access to tax credits or vouchers. The only parents who have options are those who can afford to choose them. If we have catholic schools in the city of New York that are open, the parents that are able to opt in are those who can find away to scrape together money to pay even the modest tuition,

our partnership schools. We have seven schools, four in Harlem three in the South Bronx we serve some of our nations, most vulnerable students, even with the scholarship support, were able to offer. Parents need to find some way that to pull together to pull together tuition money, even in a modest form, without support theyre. Really you know it is a choice that is really left only to those who have the means. I think that is of stating, particularly when public schools are not even opening theyre. Not even it is not even theyre providing a low cost. Excuse me a low quality alternative theyre, providing no in person alternative with students with special needs. We know theyre better served in person than online Jedediah. My heart breaks for a lot of parents around this country. They have to show up for work. They have no plan. They worry week to week. Is the school going on open? Is the school going to be closed? No one can win like this Kathleen. It is an important.