Partnership Schools superintendent Kathleen Porter-Magee provides insight into the impact of the coronavirus on schools and students.
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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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.
Transcript generated on 2020-11-15.