October 28th
Dear ones,
Some of today’s news is old news, but I was completely committed to a good-news-Tuesday. I’m planning one for every Tuesday. I was inspired by my morning meditation group, which has metta Tuesdays. I hope you are also finding ways to stay sane.
The Board of Elections is expanding hours for early voting this weekend because of the long lines:
Friday 10/30: 7am-5pm
Saturday: 10/31 7am-4pm
Sunday: 11/1 7am-5pm
There is a huge surge in early voting participation, but the long lines also result from faulty planning; there are large sites with high capacity that are being relatively underutilized, like Barclay Center, while other sites, like Madison Square Garden, have too many voters assigned to them. I know you will find a way to vote.
There are still 5.2 million Americans of voting age who are disenfranchised because of felony convictions. Unsurprisingly, they are disproportionately Black and Brown people. Please sign this petition in favor of the restoration of voting rights for those who have served their time.
Yesterday, the DOE announced that public school families would have just one opportunity during this school year to opt back into hybrid learning. This is an obvious push to bring more students into in-person learning, since it was revealed yesterday that of the 1.1 million public school students, “only about 26 percent of students have attended in-person classes.”
The Mayor had argued strenuously for the hybrid program in the summer, insisting that most families wanted it. Instead, the program was plagued by delays and uncertainty due to staffing issues, concerns about ventilation, and lingering distrust after the delay of school closures in the spring.
The problem with allowing a single opt-in opportunity in November (11/2-11/15) is that parents were initially told that there would be three such opportunities during the school year. Mark Treyger, who heads the City Council’s Education Committee, criticized the elimination of the other opt-in periods as yet another betrayal of families’ trust. Treyger “has asked the city to provide more robust data, including class sizes for both remote and in-person classes, broken down by individual schools.” Families can still opt out and choose remote instruction at any time. Please sign the petition asking the Mayor to keep his promise to public school families.
Here’s some good news leftover from good-news Tuesday: One thousand bumper stickers shipped to 12 addresses in swing states yesterday, thanks to you and your network of democracy-loving friends and family. My sister, the industrious Ms. Print, put one on her car for her trip to the post office…in the snow. If you sent me an address, please tell your friends and loved ones to expect their package tomorrow.
with love,
L