Families gather at City Hall to rally against NYC in-person public school shutdown

Dozens of parents and students were at the rally holding signs and chanting "Keep Our Schools Open."

News 12 Staff

Nov 20, 2020, 12:42 AM

Updated 1,423 days ago

Share:

Families who are frustrated by New York City's in-person school shutdown gathered at City Hall Thursday morning for a demonstration against the decision.
Dozens of parents and students at the rally held signs and chanted "keep our schools open."
The rally comes after Mayor Bill de Blasio canceled in-person learning in NYC schools after the city reported a 3% positivity rate.
Some parents say they are scared their kids are not getting proper education.
Organizers of the event say schools are safe. Data from the Department of Education seems to support that, finding that of the 140,000 COVID-19 tests taken in schools over the last month, only 0.23% came back positive.
The rally was organized by the Keep NYC Schools Open Movement. The group started a petition to keep the schools open, which has garnered nearly 13,000 signatures.
The group delivered the petition to the mayor and the governor Thursday.
Families question why their kids can't go to class if nonessential businesses are still open.
Mayor Bill de Blasio responded, "The governor made clear yesterday that it's just a matter of time before indoor dining will close and other types of things gyms, other things."
The mandate does not affect private or Catholic schools.