Hunter Teachers Call Off Strike, Return To School Tuesday

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Teachers at the Hunter College Campus Schools decided against a strike over safety concerns in the main school building and returned Tuesday for the first day of in-person classes, the teachers union said.

Teachers had voted Sunday to authorize a possible strike, saying they would not return to school unless Hunter administrators allowed an independent inspection of ventilation systems inside the 94th Street building. Staff had worried that the building's windowless classrooms lacked adequate ventilation to guard against the coronavirus.

Late Monday, the Professional Staff Congress — the CUNY staff union representing Hunter teachers — said it had received the results of a safety inspection that had been conducted earlier that day, leading members to decide against a strike.

"The inspectors presented a report that indicates that the ventilation system is acceptable and that it delivers 'the maximum amount of fresh air with little to no return air,'" PSC President Barbara Bowen told members in a news release.

In-person classes at Hunter began Tuesday for grades K-6, mirroring the citywide reopening of public schools. Grades 7-12 will return Thursday, while juniors and seniors will start the year remotely.

"The faculty and staff of the Hunter College Campus Schools took a brave stand for the safety of students, teachers and the community," Bowen said Tuesday. "Because of their advocacy and the support of their union, HCCS has been forced to implement a whole series of new safety protocols."

Teachers won other concessions from Hunter in recent days, including the installation of dozens of HEPA filters in classrooms and a pledge to regularly test students and staff for COVID-19. (The school had initially claimed to be exempt from the citywide testing standards, since it is not administered by the Department of Education.)

Hunter agreed to move classes from one first-grade classroom that had been omitted from the inspector's report, the union said.

The union said CUNY administrators have also agreed to allow a safety inspection at the Silberman School of Social Work, a Hunter building in East Harlem where some students will attend class starting Thursday in order to reduce crowding.

Previous coverage from Patch:

• Hunter Teachers Vote To Strike As School Reopening Nears
• Hunter Teachers File Restraining Order To Stop School's Reopening
• Teachers Denounce Hunter Schools' Reopening Plan At Protest
• Hunter College Teachers Say School Can't Reopen Safely