New York teachers protest reopening of schools

New York, Aug 3 (EFE).- Several teacher unions joined Monday in New York to protest the possible reopening of schools for the next academic year despite the fact that cases of contagion of coronavirus in the US continue to increase.

The march of several hundred people, led by a marching band, toured the streets of downtown Manhattan to demand that New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo and City Mayor Bill de Blasio don’t let students back in the classrooms until it’s safe.

To do this, unions argue, there should be no new cases of coronavirus, and all safety measures, such as rapid tests or a safe form of public transportation, should be in place.

They also called for substantial and continued funding from the state and New York City for working parents, as well as for Big Apple’s billionaires to pay more taxes to support working-class families, as well as colleges and the communities.

At the march, which began at the gates of the New York Department of Education, cries such as “Hey De Blasio, what do you say? How many kids have you killed today?” Were heard and there were elongated black bags carried by the protesters, under the message “the teachers do not want to leave the school in body bags.”

The protests of the day, called “National Day of Resistance against the unsafe reopening of schools,” also took place in other US cities, such as Chicago or Los Angeles.

“Parents who are most likely to work in essential services without adequate protection will expose their families (to the coronavirus) and send their children to school. And the teachers will die, the children will die,” said protester, identified as Jillian, a nurse in the New York rally.

In New York City, there have been more than 222,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 19,000 deaths. EFE

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