NYC Student Activists Can’t Boycott Schools That Are Closed, but as Coronavirus Highlights Longstanding Inequities, a Chance to Change Policy Emerges
March 24 Update:
With the closure of New York City schools due to the coronavirus outbreak and the implementation of social distancing measures, student activists in the largest school district in the country are adjusting their strategies. They are now focusing on reaching out to vulnerable peers and utilizing the heightened attention on the system’s inequalities to push for new policies.
Prior to the pandemic, student groups Teens Take Charge and IntegrateNYC were preparing for a district-wide school boycott on May 18. They drew inspiration from young activists in 1964 who organized protests against school segregation, which attracted hundreds of thousands of participants. These student groups had already initiated seven strikes since the fall, demanding immediate action to address segregation in the 1.1 million-student system, which remains one of the most segregated in the nation.
Although it is still uncertain when New York City schools will reopen, or if they will do so this school year, the boycott has officially been canceled, as confirmed by IntegrateNYC leadership. As of Monday, there were over 12,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in NYC, and Governor Andrew Cuomo’s executive order prohibits all non-essential gatherings.
However, student leaders are not viewing the inability to organize in person as a setback. Instead, they see it as an opportunity. During this crisis, people are becoming more aware of the issues that activists have been advocating for, ranging from disparities in students’ access to technology to the challenges faced by homeless students and the lack of basic hygiene products in lower-income schools. Leanne Nunes, a high school senior and the director of equity at IntegrateNYC, believes that a lot of policies will be passed in the aftermath of COVID-19.
In the past week alone, student leaders have started crowdsourcing their peers’ concerns and communicating them to leaders of the city’s Department of Education. They have also become makeshift resource centers, connecting students to services such as free Wi-Fi providers and food pickup locations. Teens Take Charge is committed to keeping students engaged on social media, recognizing that their efforts for the boycott have mobilized many students who are enthusiastic about issues like school integration.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza have been hesitant to implement comprehensive integration measures, such as eliminating competitive admissions screens for middle schools. Instead, they have largely left it to local districts to implement their own plans. Just last week, the specialized high schools in the city, whose disproportionately white and Asian student enrollment has been a focus of the integration fight, once again admitted a shockingly low number of black and Latino students. At Stuyvesant High School, for example, out of 766 offers, only 10 were extended to black students and 20 to Hispanic students. Sophie Mode, a junior and member of Teens Take Charge’s communications team, expressed disappointment and disgust at this news, but emphasized that the fight for integration will continue.
While the city’s Department of Education officials have been responsive during the coronavirus crisis, Nunes wants them to understand that the fight is not over once the situation improves. She stated that the students are still passionate and will continue to fight for change. Their current focus, however, is on supporting students during this challenging transition.
March 19, 2020 tweet from Teens Take Charge:
"Our current focus is on supporting students during this difficult transition and we thank Chancellor of the Department of Education and the Mayor of New York City for their continuous efforts to combat the COVID crisis. But once this is over, they will hear our demands louder than ever. #IntegrateNOW ✊"
Building momentum:
Around this time last year, Nunes was one of approximately 114,000 homeless students in New York City. She moved between the homes of three different families, staying in motels in between. She attended schools that lacked basic hygiene products and had teachers who had to purchase hand sanitizer with their personal funds.
In both of these situations, Nunes felt invisible.
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Nunes is determined to maintain focus on supporting communities impacted by the current crisis. She emphasized the importance of allocating resources and attention to these communities for the long term, rather than just as a temporary solution.
To achieve this, IntegrateNYC launched a survey to gather valuable insights about students’ concerns during school closures. The survey included questions about the impact of closures on younger siblings, parental leave from work, and overall worries related to the situation. As of Monday afternoon, 660 students had completed the survey, and the organization plans to utilize this data to shape their policy agenda.
Last week was dedicated to collecting data, but this week, IntegrateNYC aims to showcase initial policy recommendations on social media while also developing long-term proposals internally. Nunes mentioned that some short-term policies, based on student concerns highlighted in the survey, have already been shared with the Department of Education (DOE). One of these policies is "No Fail for students," which suggests that no student should fail this semester due to the circumstances of the pandemic.
Another significant recommendation is to suspend all testing. While state exams have been canceled, AP exams can still be administered online, albeit in a shorter format. The survey findings indicated that failure and testing were major concerns among students, with many feeling that testing under current conditions would be counterproductive.
Nunes also emphasized the importance of ensuring that every school has an adequate supply of soap, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer. These basic hygiene supplies should be readily available to all students and staff, a point that has been highlighted by the coronavirus outbreak.
Teens Take Charge’s plans for immediate policy steps are not yet clear, but they have been actively using the #FundNYSchools hashtag on Twitter to advocate for increased school funding as state leaders work on finalizing the budget by April 1.
Both IntegrateNYC and Teens Take Charge have been in contact with DOE officials, specifically Amallia Orman, the student voice manager, and Sadye Campoamor, director of community affairs. They have communicated their recommendations and concerns, highlighting the fact that they represent a significant number of students and have connections within the student community.
Student concerns that have already been raised to the DOE include access to technology, childcare, food, and the impact of the shutdown on grades and testing, including potential changes to graduation criteria. Orman, in a statement, expressed the importance of listening to student voices and incorporating their feedback into decisions about the future of their education. She encouraged all students to reach out to her directly via email.
In order to keep students connected during this time, efforts are being made to ensure access to technology and other necessary resources.
Teens Take Charge, an advocacy group known for their work in the education field as part of #NYCEDU, offers guidance and support in various areas. They have organized their resources into categories such as "advocacy," "food," "educational," "in-home activities," and "mental health."
Recently, Teens Take Charge successfully conducted their first virtual general meeting using the videoconferencing platform Zoom. They are also leveraging social media, particularly Instagram, to engage students and maintain their enthusiasm for activism.
To increase student engagement, Teens Take Charge has introduced "member takeovers" on their Instagram account. Their goal is to have around three takeovers per week. During these takeovers, members share their experiences of joining Teens Take Charge and how it opened their eyes to the inequities in resources at their own school. They also discuss the challenges of social distancing and emphasize the importance of staying connected with friends.
Both Teens Take Charge and #NYCEDU recognize that the upcoming weeks will be unfamiliar territory. Nunes expressed that they are aware of the unique challenges ahead and are prepared to navigate them.
"This situation is going to be quite fascinating," Nunes remarked. "We are establishing new precedents."
In related news, students have found innovative ways to continue their passion for performing arts, such as high school musicals, through livestream platforms. You can sign up for Newsletter to receive more stories like these directly in your inbox.
