Parents, health care workers want more input in Buffalo's school reopening plan

Several representatives speaking in front of Lafayette High School said there were few opportunities to contribute to the plan, which had to be submitted by Friday and which was posted online. With the clock ticking down before school resumes, they want assurances that will soon change.

"There are a lot of content issues that have to be worked out, but first and foremost we want a commitment for a process," said Jessica Bauer Walker, executive director of the Community Health Worker Network of Buffalo.

Wendy Mistretta, president of the District Parent Coordinating Council, outlined how she said parents were largely excluded from meaningful participation in the drafting of the plan, and of a community forum that never materialized.

"We never did get to see the plan that was submitted with our names on it until after it was submitted to the state," Mistretta said.

Appendices to the 99-page plan provide suggestions, including Superintendent Kriner Cash's thoughts on phasing in the school year, that Mistretta said were never shared with parents in advance.

Phil Rumore, president of the Buffalo Teachers Federation, blasted the school district for excluding parents "from any meaningful and required participation before a plan was submitted.

"The overall outrage is that they don't feel they have any meaningful part in developing the plan ... whereas all the other school districts around here had all sorts of time and input. You know what that does? That undermines trust," Rumore said.

Speaking separately Monday in New York City, and with the state's decision expected later this week on whether schools will be allowed to reopen, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said districts should be working to inform parents on the specifics of their plans and "have those conversations now" with parents. 

"Just because a district puts out a plan doesn't mean that if we reopen the school, parents are going to come or teachers are going to come," Cuomo said. "It's not, 'Well, the government said the schools are open, now everybody must go.' It's not going to happen that way."

Because the issue is one of public health, those responsible for students' well-being won't simply trust the school district, the governor said.

"They have questions and they need answers," he said. "And time is short."

The Buffalo parent and community health worker groups also sent a letter to the district on Monday, asking for an outline by Wednesday on how it plans to work with them. 

That timeline was rejected by Darren Brown-Hall, Cash's chief of staff, who attended the press conference and spoke to the press immediately afterward. 

"We will commit to you that we will have a solid communication plan with parents, families and with students, but I don't like when people say we need it by this, we need it by that, like Aug. 5," Brown-Hall said. "What I am committing to you is that we will have many groups and meetings to solicit feedback." 

Brown-Hall defended the school district's parental involvement, but said there will be more opportunities for input going forward.

"If there are times when parents felt they weren't included, they better believe that they will be included at an even greater percentage because we do want to have those meetings, and those will be taking place," he said.

He committed to public meetings and said a calendar of dates is being finalized. 

Brown-Hall said the document submitted is a "working document" and not a final document.

"As the governor said yesterday in his press conference, this is where the conversations begin," Brown-Hall said.

Rachel Fix Dominguez, co-chair of the Buffalo Parent Teacher Organization, said the stakes were too high not to have all of the diverse parties working together.

"We have to get this right," Dominguez said. "We have to do this for the safety of all of our children in our community, and for the safety of the hardworking professionals at every level who come into the Buffalo city schools on a daily basis."

But for that to happen, Bauer Walker said, there needs to be opportunities for meaningful input. 

"Bring everybody to the table," she said. "We all care about our children and nothing could be more important, so let's all get there and start working so we can make this happen within a month. It's a heavy lift but we can do it."