Bayside PTA Leaders Echo Calls To Close City Schools

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — A group of PTA leaders in Bayside joined the chorus calling for the closure of the New York City school system, which Mayor Bill de Blasio says he would only do as a last resort.

In a statement Friday, the Presidents' Council of District 26, an organization of PTA presidents in the school district that covers a swath of northeast Queens, called for the city to immediately close public schools to protect communities from the new coronavirus — even though some experts say it would have a minimal impact on the disease's spread.

"Schools in our district face severe overcrowding, making our school communities particularly vulnerable as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds," the organization wrote, referring to the official name for the new coronavirus.

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and the New York City teachers' union are among those who back a proposal to close public schools as the city attempts to slow the spread of COVID-19.

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Several colleges, universities and private schools in New York City have already halted classes, moved to remote teaching or closed temporarily to conduct cleaning. Success Academy, which, with 18,000 students, is one of the city's largest charter school systems, will switch to remote learning Monday.

But de Blasio argued in a Friday morning interview on "The Brian Lehrer Show" that public schools provide essential services like meals and child care.

"We need our children to be fed," de Blasio said. "We need people to keep working for our livelihood."

He added that closing the school system wouldn't necessarily slow the spread of the virus: "Do you really think kids are going to stay in their room, or stay in the apartment for weeks and weeks on end, and not come in contact with other kids and other people?"

The Department of Education is instead conducting deep cleanings and disinfecting schools twice a week, and school officials pledged to forgive absences related to COVID-19.

Some health experts argue school closures won't be effective in slowing COVID-19's spread unless they happen for the duration of the pandemic, which could last months. In its guidance on coronavirus-related school closures, the CDC says home isolation and proper hand washing are among the most effective measures to limit the spread of the virus.

Still, thousands of New York City students are petitioning to close schools and shift to remote learning and online classes.

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