With the number of COVID-19 cases across the city on the rise, the increase in breakthrough infections and the threat of the new Omicron variant, in-school testing of unvaccinated students only was clearly no longer not enough. That’s why the UFT called on the city to resume testing vaccinated adults in school buildings.

High-stakes teacher evaluations, which leaned heavily on student test scores, had no discernible impact on improving student achievement or student test scores, according to a report by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. That comes as no surprise to anyone who has spent time in a classroom.

How many children are missing from our schools? That’s the question the city Department of Education refuses to answer.

On Oct. 8, with just three months left in his term, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to phase out the gifted-and-talented program in New York City public schools. But Eric Adams, de Blasio’s likely successor, has ideas about the program that appear to be more in line with ours: It should not be destroyed, Adams said on Oct. 15, but should be retooled and expanded. 

It’s encouraging to remember how UFT members met the challenge of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks 20 years ago, as we continue to navigate the twists and turns of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Universal mask wearing is an essential part of keeping our school communities safe. New York City, thankfully, is doing its part.