NYC parents concerned about school safety, COVID and potential learning loss heading into new year
NEW YORK -- While kids lace up their shoes and pack their backpacks for the first day of school, parents have been mentally preparing for this day for weeks.
CBS2's John Dias caught up with some earlier this week to talk to them before the big day about what their concerns are for the year ahead.
Bronx mother Rosaura Flores said back-to-school shopping is an annual tradition for her and her son. But every time they do it, she seems to have a new concern for the year ahead.
"I'm a worried mom and a caring mom," she told Dias.
This time around, she's worried about school shootings, specifically in the wake of the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
"We never had that back in our days. Now, it's different. Now, you have to be alert, you have to be careful," she said.
Another mother said she's concerned about broader, overall safety issues, like trespassing.
"Very scary," said Jacqueline Staten, of Hunts Point. "Because of the fact that we don't know who's entering the schools."
COVID is also on the list of top concerns. Many parents are bracing for what could be another unpredictable school year, since city schools are now shedding most of their COVID prevention strategies from the past two years.
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"They already got their COVID vaccine, but some of the parents, they don't agree to get the COVID vaccine. So they're still going to get exposed," Bronx parent Xiomara Reyes said.
"I would say more than anything else I would be concerned about school ventilation," said Queens grandparent Ed Small. "All of this stuff was way below the radar until COVID came into the fore, and now we know that ventilation is a very big issue."
While Mayor Eric Adams and Schools Chancellor David Banks expanded the city's Gifted Program for the more accelerated learnings, some parents fear there still won't be enough programs to go around.
"He's always been ahead of his class, so it's hard for him to get extra credit work," Bronx parent Crystal Green said.