Some of the city’s top high schools Sunday joined a growing chorus demanding that Mayor Bill de Blasio shut down the school system amid the coronavirus.
“We are the Executive Boards of the parents’ associations of Stuyvesant High School, The Bronx High School of Science, Brooklyn Technical High School, Booker T. Washington Middle School and Christa McAuliffe Intermediate School,” said the letter, addressed to the mayor and Gov. Cuomo, both of whom have said they are reluctant to back the shutdown of city schools for a host of reasons.
“While we share many of the concerns that have supported the decision to keep schools open to date, we do not believe that continuing that decision is consistent with the drastic measures taken and accepted by our global, national and local communities as necessary to confront this pandemic,” the note said.
“Students and families should not need to decide between going to school and staying healthy.”
The executive boards said they represent “an overwhelming majority of concerned families” from their schools.
The city teachers union Sunday tried ramping up its pressure on de Blasio to close the schools by urging parents to flood the 311 hotline with complaints.
De Blasio acknowledged Sunday that the city doesn’t have any solid contingency plans if its public schools close.