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Syracuse residents and educators marched through the city Monday morning to demand answers about the Syracuse City School District’s reopening plans. 

Demonstrators marched from Dr. King Elementary School to SCSD’s Harrison Street offices. About 15 parents, teachers and community organizers who led the demonstration said district administrators have not done enough to ensure students have access to the technology they need to attend classes. 

The march coincided with SCSD’s first day of online classes for the fall.

“My children want to learn,” said Samantha Pierce, who has four children in the district’s schools. “They want to be in school, but we are struggling every day to be able to do that because we are not being provided with the appropriate resources.” 

The district’s board of education voted unanimously in August to conduct classes remotely until at least Oct. 2, when teachers will begin using a hybrid instruction model that brings students to school for a few days each week. 

Pierce, who attended Monday’s march with her youngest son, said school officials have left families in the dark about how to access some classes and special education resources. Her son joined her at the rally after he was unable to login to his first day of classes, she said. 

Pierce’s other son is a special education high school student at Public Service Leadership Academy at Fowler and has yet to receive the laptop he needs to attend class, Pierce said. Her family has also struggled to schedule the speech and occupational therapy sessions he receives through the district, she said. 

“Families are being shortchanged,” Pierce said. 

Samantha Pierce stands with her son who joined her at the rally after he was unable to login for his first day of online classes. Michael Sessa | Assistant News Editor

Joshua King, who organized the rally, used to work as a long-term substitute at Dr. King Elementary. He left his position as a fourth grade teacher amid the pandemic last spring and now coordinates efforts for Academy of Excellence — a group trying to fill the gaps left by virtual instruction. 

Along with about two dozen other educators, King is working to provide hardware and additional instruction to complement SCSD’s remote teaching plans. King teaches his nieces, nephews and godchildren, whose parents are essential workers, in his dining room.

“Somebody has to advocate on behalf of these children,” King said. “This is peril that we’re in. We are not prepared to start this morning.” 

Bishop H. Bernard Alex, a member of the National Action Network’s Syracuse chapter, said it does not seem like SCSD has exhausted its partnership capabilities when it comes to attaining laptops and internet hotspots for students. 

NAN has raised $8,450 to purchase devices for students in the district, he said. The network has delivered 30 laptops so far and is in the process of buying another 40.

“Something must be done — not should be, not may be — it must be done to ensure that our students get the devices that they need,” Alex said.

SCSD posted a questionnaire families could fill out to request resources such as laptops and wireless hotspots prior to the start of the school year. The district has the necessary equipment for students on hand, said Michael Henesey, administrator for communications in SCSD, in an email.

“I can tell you that all of the families who filled out our questionnaire and said they needed a hotspot or laptop had one sent to their child’s school for distribution,” Henesey said. 

Some families have yet to pick up the items they requested or have just submitted requests for technology recently, he said. 

During the first round of distribution, 758 families requested a hot spot from the district’s pool of 1,200, Henesey said. The district had 6,000 laptops on hand to fulfill 3,500 requests and has another 4,000 laptops on backorder, he said. 

Amalia Skandalis, who has taught art in the district and at local charter schools for 12 years, spoke outside Dr. King Elementary before the rally moved to SCSD’s offices. She is skeptical that school officials will be able to provide high-quality instruction for students remotely, especially when it comes to the arts.

“Most buildings that I’ve been in seemed, prior to COVID, already deficient in serving the needs of our children,” Skandalis said.

As the group marched, local activists led chants. King’s family held poster board signs taped to yardsticks and rulers. “Education matters,” the group yelled. 

King and Skandalis said they recognize the challenges the district of more than 20,000 students is facing, but they want officials to be more forthcoming about its plans for students who are struggling to access online classes. 

“I want to see the district be transparent about the decision-making process,” King said. 

Pierce said her patience is gone. She wants to see the district’s administrators fight for the education her kids deserve, she said. 

“We are tired of having to fight for these basic things for our families, for our children,” Pierce said. “We are tired of having to fight so hard, and we need the school district to fight at least as hard as we do every day to make sure that our students are equipped to participate in their education.” 

Published on September 14, 2020 at 10:50 pm

Contact Michael: msessa@syr.edu | @MichaelSessa3