Rocked by 30 Teacher Deaths (so far), DOE Hides Data, UFT Could Poll Chapter Leaders but doesn't - so far

There's one truth I learned in my 53 years about the DOE  -- there's a right way, a wrong way and the DOE way - and it's most often a shit-show.

DOE sent help to schools

Saying what they do is wrong is wrong - they are often worse than wrong. As for the UFT - I throw up my hands and surrender. 50 years of trying to organize teachers to fight the leadership is enough. The NY Post.

NYC DOE tight-lipped about coronavirus cases among educators

Teachers have ripped the Department of Education for not providing a public inventory of their fallen colleagues.

The FDNY, NYPD and other major city agencies have given regular updates on members with both suspected or confirmed coronavirus cases.

The UFT is relying on self-reporting from relatives and the growing tally does not always reflect new deaths....

NY Post 

Pretty outrageous that the DOE won't report teacher deaths while they do report police, fire etc. I think because they might be sued by families for keeping schools open so long. Some think the UFT could have been more proactive in pushing the DOE. They don't seem to be demanding the numbers on the deaths. James has addressed that on the ICEUFT blog:

UFT KNEW BUILDINGS WERE UNSAFE THE WEEK BEFORE THEY CLOSED

I did a few pieces on the death of NYC teachers due to the virus and touched on the implications of de Blasio and Cuomo having kept the schools open for so long - like how many less deaths and sick if they had closed schools a week early - but also those extra three days they asked teachers to come in -- in this case the timeline looks like she could have gotten it on one of those days --

Another Teacher Dies of Corona Virus -- A disturbi...

Here is an earlier piece:  Carranzavirus: Sue Edelman, NY Post: DOE, DeB Blood on their hands - Where was UFT?

Today's NY Post has another piece:

Coronavirus rocks the NYC’s teacher’s union, source says

https://nypost.com/2020/04/08/coronavirus-rocks-the-nycs-teachers-union-source-says/

More than 30 members of the United Federation of Teachers — including retired staff — have been reported by family members to have died from coronavirus, a union source said.

Shellshocked kin have been contacting the organization to alert officials to the cases in increasing numbers, the source said.

While he did not specify that they died from COVID-19, UFT president Michael Mulgrew read out the names of 26 recently deceased members at a somber meeting of the union’s executive board Monday.

At least five additional coronavirus-linked deaths have been added to the UFT’s grim tally in just two days since that meeting, the union source said. The union’s membership includes both teachers and other staff.

Teachers have ripped the Department of Education for not providing a public inventory of their fallen colleagues.

The FDNY, NYPD and other major city agencies have given regular updates on members with both suspected or confirmed coronavirus cases.

NYC DOE tight-lipped about coronavirus cases among educators

The UFT is relying on self-reporting from relatives and the growing tally does not always reflect new deaths.

The organization’s ranks include teachers, guidance counselors and paraprofessionals.

A small number of UFT members who have died from coronavirus were retired but most were still on the job, the source said.

The UFT’s COVID-related death count does not include school administrators who have also fallen from the disease, including city principals and assistant principals.

The  union will soon launch a memorial website named “UFT Honors” to “celebrate the lives of UFT members, in-service or retired, who have lost their lives to the coronavirus crisis.”