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Unions cite safety concerns, while parents have grown weary of remote learning.
A teacher at Yung Wing School P.S. 124 teaches students attending class in-person in New York City during the coronavirus pandemic. | Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
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School districts in both New York and New Jersey are in pitched battles over reopening classrooms for in-person instruction halfway through the academic year, with several districts in both states either headed to court or already there over the issue.
Unions are citing several concerns, including inadequate building ventilation and a lack of personal protective equipment as the deadly pandemic rages on, but many weary families and students are begging school districts to forge ahead.
Buffalo Teachers Federation request to block reopening of schools denied by judge
WKBW
and last updated 2021-02-01 15:52:53-05
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) â A judge has denied the Buffalo Teachers Federation request for a temporary restraining order aimed at blocking the reopening of schools in Buffalo.
The lawsuit was filed by the BTF Friday and alleges Buffalo Public Schools are not safe enough to reopen for in-person learning.
According to the lawsuit the BTF says it has not seen proof that, any building modifications or other precautionary health and safety measures have been made that would sufficiently change their facilities from the self-described volcano of December 2020 to a safe and healthy school environment by February 1, 2021.
Cohorts of younger students, special needs students, and high school seniors returned to classrooms for the first time in nearly a year Monday, as the Buffalo Public School District resumed in-person learning. Meanwhile, a judge blocked a temporary restraining order sought to halt reopening amid concerns for safety.
Invited students in grades Pre-K through Grade 2 arrived sporadically at Frank A. Sedita School #30 on Lowell Place in the city s West Side. They were greeted by faculty who, wearing masks, had to forego hugs and instead offered air hugs and elbow bumps to youngsters before they entered the building.
Students arrive outside Frank A. Sedita School #30 in Buffalo Monday morning for the first in-person classes held within Buffalo Public Schools since last March.