The Council of School Supervisors and Administrators' Executive Board made the announcement Sunday morning.
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The CSA is calling on Mayor de Blasio to cede mayoral control of the Department of Education for the remainder of this health crisis and for de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza to seek the immediate intervention of the New York State Education Department.
"School leaders want school buildings reopened and have been tirelessly planning to welcome back students since the end of last school year," said CSA President Mark Cannizzaro. "They must now look staff, parents, and children in the eye and say they have done all they can to provide a safe and quality educational experience, but given the limited resources provided them, this is becoming increasingly difficult. During this health crisis, school leaders have lost trust and faith in Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza to support them in their immense efforts and provide them with the guidance and staffing they need. Quite simply, we believe the City and DOE need help from the State Department, and we hope that the mayor soon realizes why this is necessary."
Cannizzaro said in his 35 years of education, this is the most difficult decision he has had to make regarding the school system and the statement he had to make.
He said confusing guidance or no guidance at all has led to many roadblocks all summer.
"So the frustration and the difficulty is immense, we are still 100% supportive of trying to open our schools in the best possible way we can, our principals will be there on Tuesday," Cannizzaro said. "Our teachers we know will be there on Tuesday, and we're going to do everything we can to make the children's experience the best it possibly can and then the same thing will happen again on Thursday when our high school folks come in with district 75 in Pre-K and 3-K teams have already been in the entire week last week, and they've done what they could to make the best possible experience for their children as well."
He went on to say that despite the difficult decision, the members felt it was a necessary step to take.
New York City Department of Education Press Secretary Miranda Barbot released a statement saying, "for the past six months, we've worked with our labor partners to navigate completely uncharted waters and accomplish our shared goal of serving students this fall. We'll continue this work to guarantee a safe, health and successful opening for all. This week, more kids will be safely sitting in New York City classrooms than in any other major American city - a testament to city leadership and our educators' commitment to their students, and the importance of in-person education."
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