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Students at New York City’s Largest High School Stage Walkout Over Covid Protocols

Students at New York City’s Largest High School Stage Walkout Over Covid Protocols

Students at Brooklyn Technical High School in New York City staged a walkout today in protest of the school’s in-person teaching mandates during the omicron-fueld Covid surge.

The walkout, which went viral on Twitter, happened at the largest in-person high school in the state. Brooklyn Tech had 6,043 students enrolled during the 2020-2021 school year, 60% of whom are Asian, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. 

The protest comes as Covid cases in New York City schools remain elevated and record numbers of schools across the country face closures due to staff shortages. On Monday, the city Department of Education reported 11,825 student cases and 2,298 among staff. About a quarter of public school kids didn’t show up to school on Monday, a slight increase from last week but still below historical norms.

“We don’t really learn anything anymore,” said Alan Sun, a sophomore at the Bronx High School of Science, one of the city’s specialized high schools, said in an interview on Jan. 7. “There are Covid cases left and right, it’s just a mess.”

Department of Education officials say the U.S.’s largest school system has doubled testing and distributed 5 million rapid tests to help mitigate the virus. New York City Schools Chancellor David C. Banks tweeted an invitation to student leaders to discuss reopening policies.

“We understand the concerns of our school communities during this crisis and wholeheartedly support civic engagement among New York City students,” said Sarah Casasnovas, a spokesperson for the education department. She said “student voice is key and we’ll continue to listen to and work closely with those most impacted by our decisions — our students.”

Casasnovas didn’t respond to a question about whether students were disciplined for leaving school grounds, but screenshot posted by former gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon appeared to show at least one student had received lunchtime detention for leaving school grounds. 

Brooklyn Tech Principal David Newman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. 

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