Res 1374-2020

By Council Members Louis and Yeger Whereas, The New York City public school system is the largest in the nation, with approximately 1.1 million students attending more than 1,800 schools; and Whereas, In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, on March 15, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that effective Monday, March 16, all New York City public schools would be closed until at least April 20, 2020, in an effort to limit the spread of the virus; and Whereas, From March 17 to March 19, 2020 the New York City Department of Education (DOE) provided in-person professional development to teachers and principals to prepare them for the transition to providing online instruction to students at home, referred to as "remote learning"; and Whereas, On Monday, March 23, 2020 DOE launched remote learning for all students, with no training provided for parents on how to assist their children with online instruction; and Whereas, Subsequently, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo signed executive orders mandating that all schools in the state remain closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year; and Whereas, As a result, DOE extended remote learning through the end of the school year and provided internet-enabled devices to students who needed them; and Whereas, DOE also provided some basic information on remote learning on its website that parents and families could access; and Whereas, However, many parents were unaware of this resource or lacked the technical ability to access it, while others found the information wholly inadequate in preparing them to assist their children in a fully online learning environment; and Whereas, Numerous media outlets have reported on parents' frustration over remote learning at home due to a lack of preparation and support, as well as the stress of having to serve as a teacher and full-time caregiver while also working from home during the pandemic; and Whereas, Difficulties with the remote learning environment are even more severe for students with disabilities, English Language Learners and their parents; and Whereas, DOE is continuing remote learning for students who are participating in summer school programs; and Whereas, Further, Mayor De Blasio and DOE Chancellor Richard Carranza recently announced proposed plans for school reopening in September 2020 that will include a blend of in-school and remote learning for students; and Whereas, It is also widely recognized that remote or "distance" learning, as online instruction is often called, will increasingly be used by schools across the country in future years; and Whereas, Since the transition to all-remote learning in March, some students have been able to perform well in the online learning environment, but there are concerns that many did not make adequate progress or even regressed, particularly students with disabilities and English Language Learners; and Whereas, There are numerous online resources and websites that provide tutorials, guidebooks and suggestions on training for parents regarding remote learning such as Tech & Learning, which recommends that school districts host virtual parent academies or online "Digital Parenting 101" courses; and Whereas, Further, Common Sense Media provides guides on at-home learning for parents of students in specific grade levels from pre-K to 5, and there are other sites that offer guides for students with special needs, such as the National Center for Learning Disabilities, yet DOE does not currently provide links or other access to such resources; and Whereas, To ensure that remote learning is as effective as possible for students, it is imperative that parents be well-prepared to serve as facilitators and assist their children with online instruction; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York City Department of Education to establish a training program for parents in relation to remote learning. LS# 15005 JA 7/13/20 2