Press Room

NEW YORK: With under two weeks until the start of the school year, and as the Delta variant continues to spread, the city has yet to announce crucial safety plans or remote learning protocols. At a City Council hearing on the impending reopening today, Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams called for a remote learning option to be available to vulnerable students to start the school year, and lamented the fact that a lack of adequate transparency or planning has yet again created confusion and concern about the reopening process.

"It's déjà vu all over again..." the Public Advocate said at the start of the Wednesday hearing of the Committee on Education, citing the administrative struggles of last year which he feels are repeating in the lead up to the reopening. "... The highly contagious Delta variant poses a new challenge to the vaccinated and the unvaccinated alike. It is imperative that the Department of Education have a clear, transparent plan for protecting students, educators, school staff, and their families before the school year begins. The DOE should also provide a remote learning option for students and educators who do not feel comfortable attending learning in-person; until students of all ages can be vaccinated against COVID-19 and the Delta variant is under control, students and educators are at risk in school buildings."

Public Advocate Williams focused on the failures of the city to provide a remote option, as well as ensure that proper precautions are in place in schools, saying "Thousands of classrooms have been cleared by the DOE as having adequate ventilation for safe, in-person instruction even though they do not meet the COVID-19 standards set by federal experts or recommended by building industry experts... and it is unacceptable with the amount of time the DOE has had to prepare for thousands of classrooms to be relying on open windows for clean air."

He also highlighted the risks posed with larger class sizes, saying "Many schools in New York City face a safety challenge the DOE has long been aware of: overcrowding... Mask mandates in school will undoubtedly help control the spread of COVID-19, but there are circumstances in which students and educators will have to remove their masks...There are also some students with disabilities, such as autism, who are unable to continuously wear a mask. With the Delta variant making removing masks even for a few moments a safety risk, the DOE must provide guidance to keep students and educators safe in crowded settings."

In the highly likely event that there are COVID-19 cases in a classroom or school, the Public Advocate noted, there are inadequate procedures and guidances for quarantining and protecting fellow students and staff. This further points to the need for a well-developed remote learning process to begin the year.

Read the full remarks as prepared by the Public Advocate below. Video is available here. TESTIMONY OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS TO THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION SEPTEMBER 1, 2021 Good morning,

My name is Jumaane D. Williams, and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. I would like to thank Chair Treyger, and members of the Committee on Education for holding this hearing today.

On September 13th, New York City is set to open all of its 1,800 public schools for full-time, in-person instruction five days a week. There will be far more seats filled than last year, when about 350,000 students opted into in-person learning at some point during hybrid schooling. While educators and school staff are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and students ages twelve and older are eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, all students younger than twelve are unable to be vaccinated. Further, the highly contagious Delta variant poses a new challenge to the vaccinated and the unvaccinated alike. It is imperative that the Department of Education (DOE) have a clear, transparent plan for protecting students, educators, school staff, and their families before the school year begins. The DOE should also provide a remote learning option for students and educators who do not feel comfortable attending learning in-person; until students of all ages can be vaccinated against COVID-19 and the Delta variant is under control, students and educators are at risk in school buildings.

Despite repeated requests from students and their families, there is no remote learning option for this school year. Because all students, regardless of their ability to get vaccinated, are required to attend in-person learning, it is extremely important that schools are transparent about their safety plans and that the DOE is monitoring these plans to ensure that all possible safety precautions are taken. However, there is no policy in place to ensure that this happens. Approximately 1,500 classrooms are still undergoing ventilation repairs with no publicly set deadline for completion. Thousands of classrooms have been cleared by the DOE as having adequate ventilation for safe, in-person instruction even though they do not meet the COVID-19 standards set by federal experts or recommended by building industry experts-and at least 4,000 of these classrooms rely exclusively on open windows for ventilation. Ventilation is a key mitigation measure for preventing the spread of COVID-19, and it is unacceptable with the amount of time the DOE has had to prepare for thousands of classrooms to be relying on open windows for clean air.

Many schools in New York City face a safety challenge the DOE has long been aware of: overcrowding. At least ten percent of classrooms are unable to adhere to even three feet of social distance, the standard recommended by the CDC in schools, although it is likely that far more space is actually required to remain safe from the Delta variant. Mask mandates in school will undoubtedly help control the spread of COVID-19, but there are circumstances in which students and educators will have to remove their masks for which there is no clear protocol, particularly at lunch. There are also some students with disabilities, such as autism, who are unable to continuously wear a mask. With the Delta variant making removing masks even for a few moments a safety risk, the DOE must provide guidance to keep students and educators safe in crowded settings.

The city is shrinking its school virus testing program, with ten percent of unvaccinated students expected to be tested every other week this year. With the size of New York City's student population, this plan may invite scrutiny; Los Angeles, the country's second-largest school district, is aiming to test every student and staff member each week. At a time when the extremely contagious Delta variant is the predominant strain in the city, testing more students more often will protect our students, educators, and their families. Additionally, when someone in a classroom tests positive for COVID-19, only unvaccinated "close contacts" will have to quarantine for ten days; in elementary schools, when one student tests positive, the entire class will temporarily switch to remote learning. However, the DOE has not provided guidance for how many positive cases would trigger a school-wide closing, which is important for schools to know prior to the start of school.

When students have to quarantine, they will need to utilize remote learning while they are at home. Remote learning was extremely challenging for students and their families over the past two school years, particularly for students with disabilities and English language learners. We do not know if remote learning has been improved in preparation for its inevitable use. Remote learning will have a greater impact on those who are unvaccinated, who are disproportionately Black and brown students. With no updates on how the DOE is working to make remote learning better, these students will be the ones to receive the least quality education. We must have a remote learning option, for at least the start of the school year, as the stakes are too high and our children's lives depend on it now more than ever.

All students deserve an environment where they can learn with as little risk to their health and safety as possible. Of course, it is unfortunately impossible to fully guarantee that no student or educator will get sick at their school, but there is so much more that the DOE can be doing to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection. I hope that we can work together to protect our school communities and make this school year a success. Thank you.

"The historic weight of inducting New York's first female governor today cannot go overlooked or underappreciated. From our state's founding it has been a position held by white men, except when those men were confronted with and faced consequences for their own failure and wrongdoing. As we move forward from this latest moment of scandal, I hope we can end this pattern by realizing what leadership can look like.

"Governor Hochul's success is our success, and with former Governor Cuomo now removed from the position of power that he long abused, it's my hope that we can restore power to the people, and center our objectives on achieving justice, equity, and advancement for New Yorkers. There are immense challenges before our city and state, but as I expressed to Governor Hochul before she assumed her new role, I'm ready to work together to recover from this pandemic and renew New York. As she takes office, I wish her luck and offer her support."

NEW YORK: New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams and incoming New York Governor, current Lieutenant Governor, Kathy Hochul released the following joint statement after their Tuesday afternoon meeting in New York City.

"We had an important dialogue this evening discussing issues that are of vital and immediate importance to New Yorkers, including expanding and escalating COVID-19 vaccination efforts, reframing how we address public safety while reducing gun violence, and expediting distribution of relief funding for renters and owners alike. We also discussed the need to remove unnecessary barriers and fund excluded workers -  largely immigrants - who have been blocked from federal aid. These must and will be immediate priorities of this new Administration."

"We look forward to working together, upstate and downstate, to help New Yorkers recover from this pandemic and renew New York City."

"The people of Haiti, who have already suffered so much pain and trauma in the last weeks, months and years, are once again reeling in the wake of a devastating natural disaster. My appreciation and respect for the Haitian people and culture runs as deep as the diaspora's roots here in New York City. I offer my prayers for peace and comfort to the families of those who have lost their lives, and to everyone in Les Cayes, in Jeremie, on the island and throughout the diaspora still waiting for information on their loved ones as so many lives and livelihoods have been destroyed.

"Together with our prayers, we must provide sustained support. In the past, people  and nations have rushed to Haiti's aid in the immediate moment of crisis, when the headlines are fresh and the cameras are present, only to abandon them in the aftermath and invite future crises. Just five weeks ago the President of Haiti was assassinated, and while that upheaval is ongoing, the world's attention has not been. This cycle cannot continue. We must come together today, yes, but stay together through recovery and rebuilding. L'Union fait la force."

"Brandon Rodriguez is yet another New Yorker to lose their life on Rikers Island - I pray for peace and comfort for his family. Without a trial, he received a death sentence - a sentence also suffered by Robert Jackson, Jose Mejia Martinez, and too many others in just the last few months. We need a thorough investigation of these incidents, and we need transformational change of the systems that tacitly and overtly permit it.

"As we move forward efforts to close Rikers and decarcerate across the city, that work must be paired with a focus on maintaining humane conditions for people who are incarcerated. It has long been clear that mismanagement, misplaced priorities, and missing resources have created an environment that harms both corrections staff and incarcerated individuals, an environment in which humanity and health of those inside are disregarded, with too often tragic results."

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams put forward testimony today to call for the Independent Redistricting Commission to draw district boundaries that ensure fair, accurate representation in testimony submitted as part the ongoing redistricting process, particularly for communities that have been marginalized and underrepresented through the process in the past. New Yorkers can submit public comments to the Commission online, and the final public hearing of the Commission prior to maps being drafted will be held virtually on August 15. The Public Advocate noted in his testimony that delays in state funding had stunted the process.

"Given the time-sensitive nature of the redistricting process, it is unacceptable that State funding was not disbursed to the Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) until very recently. To be clear, in Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021, the Governor should have taken steps to ensure that the IRC was able to have the necessary time and funds to hire staff, conduct public outreach, and perform its core functions. Because the Governor failed to do so, the IRC is now working on a compressed timeline that has presented understandable complications." said Public Advocate Williams in his testimony."The Commission must now take swift action to ensure all necessary work can occur before its first map proposals are due... it must make significant improvements to its operations."

He also urged the Commission to engage the public transparently and release its draft maps as soon as possible in order that future hearings can be informed and effective, saying "Public participation in events such as this hearing is the only way that the IRC will be able to identify "communities of interest"-groups with shared policy concerns that would benefit from being maintained together in a single district." He added that "New Yorkers should play their part in informing their neighbors about this redistricting, especially elected officials and community based organizations that have strong and lasting relationships with residents."

Read the full testimony from delivered by the Public Advocate below. Public comments can be submitted here.

TESTIMONY OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS TO THE NEW YORK STATE INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION AUGUST 11, 2021

My name is Jumaane D. Williams and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. I appreciate the opportunity to deliver testimony.

Since the Reconstruction era, gerrymandering has minimized the impact of the votes of people of more color. Through "cracking", which intentionally spreads voters of more color out amongst multiple districts in order to dilute their political voice, and "packing", which intentionally concentrates voters of more color into one district in order to restrict their influence, the drawing of districts has been a harmful political tool. In addition, district lines that ignore local neighborhood boundaries can result in elected representation that is not reflective of community priorities or demographics. In order to avoid these damaging outcomes, it is important that New York State uses this once-in-a-decade opportunity to draw lines that ensure fair and accurate representation for all of its residents, especially those who have been most marginalized by this process in the past. 

Given the time-sensitive nature of the redistricting process, it is unacceptable that State funding was not disbursed to the Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) until very recently. To be clear, in Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021, the Governor should have taken steps to ensure that the IRC was able to have the necessary time and funds to hire staff, conduct public outreach, and perform its core functions. Because the Governor failed to do so, the IRC is now working on a compressed timeline that has presented understandable complications. Nonetheless, the Commission must now take swift action to ensure all necessary work can occur before its first map proposals are due on September 15th. In order to do so, it must make significant improvements to its operations.

Public participation in events such as this hearing is the only way that the IRC will be able to identify "communities of interest"-groups with shared policy concerns that would benefit from being maintained together in a single district. As such, the IRC must make its public events more accessible. The fact that the hearing schedule was only announced on July 12th severely limited the amount of outreach that could be conducted around it and depressed turnout. The late launch of the IRC website on July 12th has also limited public engagement. Further, requiring members of the public to request translation or American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation for the hearing via this low-traffic website, rather than providing these services proactively, has presented serious accessibility challenges for New Yorkers. Moving forward, the IRC should follow provisions in the State's Public Hearings and Meetings law to ensure that future events meet basic democratic standards, while maintaining the ability for the public to testify remotely. In addition, the IRC should release its draft maps as soon as possible so that future hearings can be as informed and effective as possible.

The IRC should also significantly increase the direct outreach into communities regarding its work. All communities must be made aware of all hearings, map-drawing workshops, and listening sessions. A targeted and robust marketing campaign must be a centerpiece of this outreach strategy. Specifically, at least 50% of marketing funds should be dedicated to ethnic and local community media outlets, in order to reach all corners of New York's diverse population. Further, in the aim of transparency and accountability, the IRC should provide detailed reporting on how funds are spent.

Lastly, all New Yorkers should play their part in informing their neighbors about this redistricting, especially elected officials and community based organizations that have strong and lasting relationships with residents. I encourage them to join our Office in amplifying the redistricting process and connecting residents to all associated events. The stakes are too high here for New Yorkers-especially those who have been traditionally excluded from the political process- to be left unengaged. Please reach out to us to see how we can partner together in this campaign. Thank you for your time and consideration.