Press Room

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams issued the following statement after the Mayor and Chancellor announced that in-person learning would be delayed until September 21, originally scheduled for September 10.

"Re-opening strategies need to be deliberate and methodical, guided by science and framed in equity to minimize risk. I've implored the administration to delay the reopening of school buildings in service of that goal, but I am deeply concerned that eleven days is not nearly enough to meet the monumental task before the city, and that the administration will fall victim to the same logistical failures and logical fallacies as it did previously, just with a new date. "We need more time for preparation and less focus on a looming, unrealistic and unsafe deadline amid deep budget uncertainty. Our approach must be intentional, not incidental - implementing the most effective system of remote learning possible while working to restore in-person learning in phases, beginning with those who have the greatest need. If we face the same shortcomings on September 21 that we do today, nothing will have changed but the calendar, and further delay will be needed to put in place critical safety infrastructure before gradually phasing in re-opening. The Mayor needs to listen to the students, parents, teachers, scientists and school staff, who are imploring him to prioritize safety, not a schedule."

As Mayor Bill de Blasio continues to push for all school buildings to reopen in just two weeks amid mounting opposition from students, parents, teachers, administrators, and medical professionals, Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams introduced legislation today to improve remote learning procedures and provide an emergency food plan for students.

The Public Advocate-- who previously released a plan that called for all schools to remain remote through at least October-- joined Council Member Mark Treyger, Chair of the Council's Committee on Education, to introduce legislation that would require the Department of Education to report weekly on remote learning attendance. That reporting would be disaggregated by school, grade, race, individualized education plan status and other factors, and would help the city to find and focus on areas where remote learning may not be executed effectively, providing resources to students and schools in the most need.

This bill, Intro 2058, comes after City Council hearings this spring revealed that the Department of Education did not have adequate or accurate data on remote learning participation, and after reports that the NYC Administration for Children's Services (ACS) was investigating some families after students failed to join remote learning due to lack of resources.

Under the city's current hybrid learning plan, all students will be engaged in some level of remote learning, and a significant portion will be entirely remote to begin the school year. Public Advocate Williams has continued to advocate for a plan which delays any in-person education until at least October, then phase in in-person education in coordination with extensive school safety measures.

Public Advocate Williams also introduced legislation, Intro 2057, which would require the Mayor's Office of Food Policy and the Department of Education to develop a student food plan to be used when schools are ordered to be closed or when any form of remote learning is utilized. Many students throughout New York City rely on the school system for access to consistent nutritious meals. This bill would ensure that in the event of an emergency or public health crisis that shutters schools, students will still be able to receive the meals they would normally receive in school and thus ensure their food security.

The plan would include a description of how the City will provide students with access to breakfast, lunch, and dinner; how and to what extent the City will distribute information to the public about the availability of food; criteria for how food distribution points are identified; a mechanism to ensure that all public communications, written or otherwise are available in the most commonly spoken languages of affected communities; and other elements.

These two pieces of legislation are timely and critical as the Mayor pushes for a blended learning system to reopen schools on September 10. Improved remote learning and food security plans are essential as many students opting to learn fully remotely, or in the event of impending school closures should further COVID-19 outbreaks occur in classrooms.

In announcing the legislation, Public Advocate Williams said, "Whether the Mayor moves forward with his misguided plan to re-open school buildings on September 10 or not, much of the coming school year is likely to be remote. As we saw this past spring, remote learning has great potential but also highlights the need for many reforms and systems in place to make it more effective. These bills will help ensure that students and families get the education and resources they need amid the ongoing pandemic."

"COVID-19 has impacted every single person in this city, but its impacts have not been evenly felt. Inequities in remote learning mirror inequities in the spread of COVID-19. In order to know how much support is needed for our students and educators, we need data that illustrates the gaps. Additional specific data on remote learning participation is the only effective way to acknowledge the problem and allocate resources where necessary to eliminate gaps of inequity," said Council Member Mark Treyger, Chair of the Committee on Education. "We need to ensure that every student is receiving a high-quality education, whether in-person or remote, so that vulnerable student populations are not left behind."

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams issued the following statement on the city's school reopening strategy as the Mayor continues to push for in-person learning to resume on September 10. He will join a press conference with the Alliance for Quality Education and other education advocates this morning to further explain his opposition.

"The Mayor and Chancellor got an assignment five months ago: to develop and implement a strategy for schools in the fall that would be educationally sound, scientifically supported, and centered on the safety of students and staff. Failure to deliver on that charge, while holding to the same deadline, has put teachers, administrators, students and parents in a near-impossible situation.

"The plans and modifications coming from this administration at this late stage are strategies that could possibly have been effective if considered and collaborated on months ago, with adequate input and adequate funding. Now, they come amid rising opposition from parents, teachers, administrators and medical professionals, and would place an additional and undue burden on those same groups. In the midst of a city and state budget crisis, they risk compounding existing inequities. And they demonstrate a reality we all know to be true but which some won't admit - the city is not prepared to resume in-person learning on the arbitrary date of September 10th, and the prudent course of action is to open remotely while critical infrastructure is put in place, before phasing in in-person learning with effective safety measures. Yes, the city's strategies could come together in the next two weeks - but the possibility is, at the least, remote."

The New York City Council passed legislation from Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams today to extend construction site safety training deadlines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling more workers to get the potentially life-saving training mandated by a law he previously enacted with Council Member Carlos Menchaca to mandate a minimum number of hours of safety training. The new bill passed today, Intro. 2059-A, was also co-sponsored by Council Member Menchaca and extends the deadline to receive this training through to March 1, 2021.

"Construction has always been one of the most dangerous jobs in New York City, with inadequate training and protection for the people who build our city," said the Public Advocate of the legislation. "Before the pandemic and throughout it, construction workers have been too often labelled as essential but treated as expendable - COVID-19 has changed the way training is administered, but not the reasons it is critical. By expanding the timeline and the opportunity for workers to access safety training, we can save lives and rebuild the eroding culture of safety in the industry."

"As we confront the pandemic and its economic aftermath, we need to protect construction workers, who in addition to having one of the deadliest jobs in our City, are struggling to meet training requirements that could determine whether they keep their jobs or not," said Council Member Carlos Menchaca. "I'm proud the Council voted unanimously to support unions and day labor organizations who represent these workers and ensure their and our collective safety."

This legislation comes as the Public Advocate is also requesting expanded and adapted training from the Department of Small Business Services. He has called for several immediate actions be taken to help ensure the safety of construction workers, essential workers, including adapting trainings that can be implemented in-person and online, making training cards more accessible to workers, and establishing further health guidelines, among others.

Amid an uptick in gun violence and widespread rumors of a work slowdown among New York City Police Department officers, Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams is requesting information from NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea about the number of police enforcement actions dating back across three years and across all precincts.

In a letter to the Commissioner, the Public Advocate says of a potential slowdown that "This rumor continues to grow stronger as the death toll continues to rise. It is my sincere hope that you can demonstrate with certainty that no such slowdown exists within any individual precincts, and within the NYPD as a whole." He goes on to say that "New Yorkers need to know that during an emergency their law enforcement officers will show up and act in the best interests of the communities they serve."

The full letter is available below and can be downloaded here.

Dear Commissioner Shea: New York City continues to suffer from a horrific rise in shootings across every borough, with the vast majority of victims being black and brown New Yorkers. As shootings and violence have continued for months unabated, rumors have circulated that the New York Police Department (NYPD) is taking part in a deliberate slowdown. This rumor continues to grow stronger as the death toll continues to rise. It is my sincere hope that you can demonstrate with certainty that no such slowdown exists within any individual precincts, and within the NYPD as a whole.  Just as community trust in our police can degrade from over-enforcement, it can also degrade from underenforcement. New Yorkers need to know that during an emergency their law enforcement officers will show up and act in the best interests of the communities they serve. Please provide comparative data quantifying all arrests and charges, including non-violent offenses, taking place from March through August, for the past three years. Please disaggregate this data by individual precincts.

I hope you will understand the urgency of this request, and I look forward to receiving your response on this matter. Please contact First Deputy Public Advocate Nick E. Smith at nsmith@advocate.nyc.gov with any questions.  Thank you. Sincerely, Jumaane D. Williams Public Advocate for the City of New York

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams issued the following statement after the United States Second Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a gag order which was preventing the publication of a database of Civilian Complaint Review Board complaint records obtained by the New York Civil Liberties Union through a Freedom of Information request.

"This is what transparency looks like - and while it's gratifying that this information is finally public, it's disheartening that it takes a federal court order to mandate what should be common sense and standard practice. New Yorkers have a right to know about allegations and instances of misconduct by the officers that are meant to serve their communities, and to know whether there has been accountability for that misconduct. Transparency and accountability are not in opposition to better policing and safer streets, they are essential for both. "Unfortunately, for too long, disingenuous actors including the leadership of several law enforcement unions have sought to shield bad actors within the department from scrutiny or consequence - and have too often had the backing of city and state elected leaders in that effort. That backing can be seen even now, as the city has recently argued in another case that the department has no obligation to discipline officers who commit offenses. Now, with 50-a finally repealed, these law enforcement unions continue to oppose that repeal in court - a baseless effort to prevent transparency that we can all see through. We've won the legislative fight, we're winning the legal fights, and we will continue the long fight for justice in law enforcement through our voices and our votes."