During this presidential election year, at least 30 instructional days will be effected at more than 30 NYC public schools.
I am one of the parents who is pushing back against using schools for early voting when students are in school. I support early voting, but I was shocked to learn about security incidents at our school during early voting.
In one incident, a voter made their way past the cafeteria and poked their head into a classroom full of students during instruction. The teacher and students were startled, commenting “that was creepy.” It was more than creepy, it was inexcusable.
Beyond educating our kids, schools are charged first and foremost with ensuring their safety and well being. Schools are already facing tough security issues, whether it’s lockdowns, altercations or preventing students from leaving schools.
True, the vast majority of voters have no ill intent. But, voters should not be using the same bathrooms kids are using. Voters should not be able to roam freely in hallways or enter classrooms. Staffers should not have to interact with voters.
Schools keep their front doors locked and check visitor IDs, yet doors designated for early voters are wide open, no ID required. Exposing students and staff to unnecessary risks defies logic and common sense.
Since we adopted early voting in 2019, the Board of Elections has designated 33 public schools across four boroughs (not in Queens), to remain open on instructional days while their gym, cafeteria or library hosts early voters.
The toll on schools is significant and goes beyond security concerns. A voter at a Manhattan school is caught on camera entering a room and pilfering a T-shirt. A volleyball team in Brooklyn finds itself on the brink of forfeiting playoffs because their gym is off-limits.
Halloween activities at a Staten Island elementary school are canceled because their gym can’t be used. Cold bagged meals replace the only hot meals our most vulnerable students get that day. District 75, afterschool programs, clubs and sports are disrupted or canceled.
Principals make annual pleas to leadership for additional funding or staff to beef up security. The Board of Elections is deemed “untouchable,” so there’s only silence. The message, however, is loud and clear: schools are on their own, so principals bear the burden of managing the logistical nightmare of early voting.
And, there’s no defined protocol on what school’s should do during a lock down or shelter-in-place with early voters in their building, severely compromising safety during a crisis.
Adding to the challenge, Mayor Adams’ budget cuts reduced school safety agent headcount compared to pre-pandemic levels. Even with his change of heart to hire 120 safety agents, it’s still nowhere near enough. Now, Adams is asking parents to volunteer for security. Seriously?
Queens avoids these issues by not using any public schools as early voting sites. Colleges, hospitals, places of worship, museums, libraries, community centers, YMCAs/JCCs and even catering halls are utilized. It’s a win-win.
In 2019, BOE Executive Director Michael Ryan said, “if there are other locations throughout the city that have less operational impact, those are things that we will explore moving forward.” No need to reinvent the proverbial wheel. Queens got it right.
Parents haven’t been silent and are fed up. When it comes to safety, we are being proactive, not standing idle. A petition to relocate poll sites on school days started on Staten Island, and expanded to include Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx. A resolution was passed by the Citywide Council on High Schools demanding an end to the use of schools for early voting.
The UFT is also on board, passing a resolution in January’s Delegate Assembly to remove early voting sites from NYC public schools.
In the Legislature, bipartisan bills in both chambers (S4604 and A2338) aim to amend the election law by exempting public school buildings from being designated as early polling locations. Clearly, this issue cuts across party lines and our legislators need to work together to get this on Gov. Hochul’s desk.
The BOE and the DOE need to do the right thing now — eliminate schools as early voting sites. They can no longer compromise student safety for civic duty, especially when there’s a proven solution that achieves both. During the presidential elections, likely to be contentious and draw record voter turnout, the urgency to address this issue cannot be overstated. The time for action is now.
Gontha is a parent of NYC public schools students, a council member on the Citywide Council on High Schools (CCHS) and a former NYC public school student. These opinions are his own.
