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weather report (updated)

October 31, 2012

No school for students until Monday; 200 school buildings hurt

by Philissa Cramer, at 3:30 pm

Schools will remain closed for students for the rest of the week following Hurricane Sandy, Mayor Bloomberg announced this afternoon.

But he said the city is asking teachers and school staff to report to work on Friday.

Two hundred of the city’s 1,400 school buildings had suffered some damage because of the storm, according to Chancellor Dennis Walcott, who appeared with Bloomberg at the afternoon press conference. Most of the damage was minor, Bloomberg said, but other schools were hit harder.

“There’s an awful lot of schools that have received damage or don’t have power,” Bloomberg said. He added, “Hopefully by Monday everything will be back perfect.”

The 200 damaged schools are currently “not operational,” according to Erin Hughes, a Department of Education spokeswoman. Eighty-six schools currently do not have power, she said.

Hughes said the number would likely change as the department gets more information from schools in Zone A, the mandatory evacuation zone that received significant flooding.

Since the weekend, 76 school buildings have been used as evacuation shelters. In the coming days, Bloomberg said, those shelters will be consolidated into fewer locations.

Bloomberg said the Friday teacher workday would allow teachers and school staff to prepare for students’ return after an interruption of unprecedented length.

Told of Bloomberg’s announcement this afternoon, teachers at Red Hook’s P.S. 15, which was flooded, expressed disbelief that they could be expected to get any work done on Friday.

“Where are we supposed to go?” asked Marie Sirotniak, one of several teachers who had convened to provide assistance to families from the school.

In a press release, Walcott said the department would “provide more information to our staff, including those who may be required to report to a site other than their school.”

More than half of the city’s 23 subway lines are set to run starting Thursday morning, and the city is running special bus lines to help commuters. Yet some parts of the city remain unreachable by public transportation, including the most devastated sections of eastern Brooklyn and Queens and all of Manhattan below 34th Street, where the power has been out since late Monday and is likely to remain that way for several more days.

Most charter schools appeared to be following in the city’s footsteps and canceling classes for the rest of the week. At least one network, Success Academy Charter Schools, had already called off the week’s classes on Wednesday.

About the extended closure, Bloomberg said, “I know it’s an inconvenience for parents.” But he offered a consolation to families who have been “cooped up” this week with their children: City parks should reopen by later this week, and the weather will be perfect for an afternoon outside.

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  • Rocinante

    Any more news on that fire at John dewey high School

  • Lrrsiris

    Does Bloomberg expect teachers to report to work on Friday? Really? For What?

  • common sense

    There is no logical or safe reason for teachers to go in friday with transportation out, power questionable,trees down that need to be removed. They really should rethink this one and give the workers time to repair the city as best they can. Having 80,000 teachers traveling from all points on an unreliable mass transit system makes little sense.

  • http://perdidostreetschool.blogspot.com/ reality-based educator

    Many teachers live in flooded areas of Long Island and NJ.  I live in Jersey, have intermittent power, no water, no PATH service, my school is still without power – but Walcott and Bloomberg expect me in for PD.

    Makes total sense.

  • Queens Teacher

    Where is our union? Shouldn’t they be acting on our behalf to make sure the membership is safe?

    For the record- what am I preparing? I have a week’s worth of unused lesson plans. I say leave it optional- I wouldn’t mind going in for an hour to pick up some papers that need grading, but to stay there all day? For what?

  • Crnmath

     The web site of the UFT is inoperative and the union has not contacted it’s members by email.  In my opinion, as an active member paying $1200/year dues, I am a victim of a Ponzi scheme.

  • common sense

    vehicles entering manhattan must have 3 or more people thurs-fri-etc——just 1 more obstacle to go along with no train or subway service—-what a breeze to get to school and for what a pd that doesn’t exist—–?

  • Disgruntled SPED Teacher

     Union took down its website because of no power at main offices.  They did advise chapter leaders, but not everyone else I guess.

  • Annoyed

    We already have a PD this coming Tuesday.  What are we going to do on Friday?  Plan lessons (we’ve already got a week of unused lessons in our bank)?  Grade papers?  We could do that from home?  Why force us to use limited transportation programs so that we’re “on site” …  The city is going to have us work extra days anyways …  Why force us to come in?  They’re basically forcing us to take a day off.  No one is going to commute and extra hour or more when there’s nothing to do in the building.

  • Sdsdd

    ignore the spelling mistakes.  too annoyed to type correctly.

  • Nycdoenuts

    What were chapter leaders advised?

  • WorkerAnt

    So will they be sending the helicopter or the SUV for me? Of course, there’s enough going on out here that I wouldn’t mind the Chancellor or the Mayor reporting to my house, where I could put them to good use. Oh, and bring some water and hot food, okay? I won’t be able to chat because I’m doing report cards, but maybe you can find a working gas station and wait on line for me for a couple of hours. I guess what I’m saying is…Is this really necessary, or are they just doing it because they can?

  • Burned

    I’m a chapter leader.  I was not advised of anything.  Unless you count an idiotic generic email from Weingarten on Monday, subject line, “Please Be Safe,” full of bromides  . . .

  • guest

    I’m a chapter leader.  I’ve heard nothing from the UFT. 

  • Queenie

    Is the mayor asking or mandating teachers to go to work?  Really, now?

  • Queens Teacher

    Cuomo just declared a travel state of emergency for tomorrow and Friday. But teachers should report on Friday?

    My school has no electricity, and it appears we will have to report elsewhere. I can safely say 90% of the staff has no electricity, Internet or consistent phone access. How are they disseminating the information to everybody? A sign fun-takked to the front door of the school? What the hell?

  • I noticed that…

    GS, I made a comment over 30 minutes ago and it’s waiting for approval.  Why?  If everyone else can make comments, why is mine being held back?  Just wondering.

  • Invictus

    It is nothing new about what is expected of teachers in NYC.  If Sandy gave us 4 days of God send respite, we surely cannot have a 5th day, especially us, lazy, overpaid, grossly negligent teachers who are the source of all evils that have afflicted the nation in the past decade!  Typical of the DeFormer mentality…. We do not get how and what, simply get there, even though it might be completely absurd.  

  • Anonymous

    How are teachers supposed to know if their school bldg will be open, is undamaged, has power, is safe to enter, etc.? Will there be some form of communication, a site to go to, or just catch as can, courtesy of Mikey Megabucks, Richie’s maniacal cousin?

  • The Road Warrior

    I hope the DOE is prepared for a massive lawsuit once a teacher gets zapped on a live wire while walking 10 miles to school in a disaster zone. 

  • I noticed that…

    Will the mayor find a way to blame the teachers and the union for the storm?

  • Queens Teacher

     Yes- he will say that the UFT blows so much hot air that it caused the global warming that caused the hurricane….wait for it….

  • I noticed that…

    I wonder if the mayor will now push the union to accept the new teacher evaluation and the other disgraceful attached strings that come with the RttT money, $300 million.  The city will cry there’s no money for the schools because of the financial devastation to the city’s coffer.  It seems that there’s another storm coming to the rank-and-file.  Watch how the mayor connives with Governor Andy to make it happen. 

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/QBSZ5RQ5X7GRMNH2GUBBR3CLUY John

    Speaking for the UFT at Murry Bergtraum High School (In the absence of UFT leadership which has been offline for days now) my teachers are aghast at Bloomberg’s requirement that they report Friday. With so much up in the air regarding transit, especially for our NJ, CT and LI teachers! They are baffled about how they will make it in. 

    I will probably spend the night at a shelter where I am volunteering. Let Bloomberg dock me if I don’t make it in tomorrow! 

    He’s a big fan of online education. Well, now is the time for it! Put your PD materials online Mr. Mayor and send us an email with the link. 

    See our open letter to the mayor: http://laborslessons.blogspot.com 

  • Rjoa1238

    I am appalled at the mayor’s decree that teachers report to work on Friday but yet no students will be present. Schools being closed is an inconvenience to parents and if you are a teacher, this is an even larger inconvenience. How am I supposed to find care for my 5 and 8 year olds in order to report to work tomorrow? I find his decision on this to be incredibly shortsighted and at complete odds with his supposed understanding of the situation. It’s not like we are returning from a summer break. It’s been 4-5 days and the amount of “preparation” needed by teachers is minimal. Unless of course your facility suffered in which case custodial staff is involved, not teachers. I really wish someone would just talk sense into this issue instead of us (teachers) blindly following what is clearly a hazardous decision on his part.

  • momofone

    ?

  • MinQ

    It’s 6:15PM Thursday.  I work at a school that has no power, had some flooding and is located 28 blocks and 5 avenue blocks from the nearest train stop running from my home.  I’m supposed to show up for work tomorrow, but I have heard NOTHING from the principal or AP(s) about the status of the school’s situation today.  Where, exactly, am I supposed to report to?  The lack of communication is awful.  Even if they sent an email saying theyve heard nothing from Central, it would still be something.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=704348223 Hayley Heffernan

    We are in a similar situation at our school. However, our principal shared an email with us from the network that stated we would be notified by email tonight where to go tomorrow. It’s a bit of cold comfort, I know, but I hope this information helps a little. As of yet, I have not received the email.

  • Akademos

    Was unaware of the email re this.

    Network teams!?!

    Now that’s sublime.

  • ats

    We just got an email from the chancellor in our DOE email with little to no information.  It did say, however, that schools with no power/that are flooded will be informed later tonight as to where to report

  • http://twitter.com/jatorre Javier de la Torre

    Does anybody has the list of those 200 schools who are closed? Would love to see them on a map

  • Epike82

    I am a teacher in Kansas and a coach for a group of girls who are wanting to donate supplies to a school that was affected by the hurricane.  Any suggestions on where or who to send our donation to?
    epike82@gmail@gmail:disqus .com

  • http://www.ucedaenglish.com/ Uceda School

     On a…map? What are you trying to figure out?

  • Lillymay_888

    what about my school!!

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