Parents say DOE has failed to supply remote learning devices to students

More than a day after the city decided to shut down public schools and have all students learn remotely, there are still many kids without the devices they need to log on to class.

News 12 Staff

Nov 20, 2020, 1:37 AM

Updated 1,423 days ago

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More than a day after the city decided to shut down public schools and have all students learn remotely, there are still many kids without the devices they need to log on to class.
Public School 139 was already in full remote learning because staff says it had positive COVID-19 cases in multiple classrooms.
However, it was still a tough adjustment for parents with at least 120 students still lacking proper remote learning devices.
Some say the Department of Education has failed these children by not being prepared at the start of the school year.
PS 139 parent coordinator Megan Demarkis says, "We've known this since August. This has been on register with the Department of Education since August and those requests have not been filled." Parent Arcelia Leal adds, "They had eight months already with the pandemic, why they don't do something else? Why they don't get prepared?"
Parent Juno Turner says the "wait and see" approach as the city monitored infection rates doesn't fit for working parents. "Watching the mayor be three hours late for his press conference, watching the governor refusing to admit that our schools were going to be closed…frankly, I'm just really tired of watching these two grown men fight and failing to prioritize the needs of the students of this city," Turner says.
Many parents and school faculty say they hope that these children get the tools they need soon before it has catastrophic effects on their education.