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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 19 November 2020

New York City schools to close again as city fights virus

By JENNIFER PELTZ downs in neighborhoods
Associated Press where coronavirus cases
NEW YORK (AP) — New York were rising rapidly.
City is shuttering schools As of midweek, more than
to try to stop the renewed 2,300 students or staff at
spread of the coronavirus, public schools had tested
Mayor Bill de Blasio said positive since the start of
Wednesday in a painful the school year.
about-face for one of the New York City's school
first big U.S. school systems system, like others across
to bring students back to the nation, initially halted
classrooms this fall. in-person learning in mid-
The nation's largest public March as the virus spiked.
school system will halt in- While many big U.S. school
person learning Thursday, districts later decided to
sending more than 1 mil- start the fall term with on-
lion children into all-online line learning, de Blasio
classes, the mayor said. pushed for opening school-
The Democrat said at an house doors. The Demo-
afternoon news confer- crat argued that students
ence that plans were be- needed services they got in
ing made to bring in-person school and that many par-
learning back as quickly ents were counting on it in
as possible if the infection This combination of file photos shows from left, Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. on Feb. 29, 2020, in order to get back to work.
rate drops, though he cau- Columbia, S.C., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., on July 24, 2020, in Washington and House To keep students spread
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., on March 3, 2020, in Washington.
tioned that the bar to re- Associated Press out, the city offered in-per-
turn would be higher than son learning only part-time,
it was to close down. He of all-online learning was summer that school build- students had gone to class with youngsters logging on
added that schools would "really awful" for the family, ings would close if 3% of in school this fall, far fewer from home the rest of the
definitely remain closed which shares a one-bed- all the coronavirus tests than officials had expect- time.
through Thanksgiving. room apartment in Upper performed citywide over ed. The reopening date, origi-
"We're going to fight this Manhattan, said Foster, a a seven-day period came In-person school resumed nally set for Sept. 10, was
back," de Blasio said. "This former pharmaceutical ad- back positive. As the rate Sept. 21 for pre-kindergar- postponed twice as teach-
is a setback, but it's a set- vertising worker who left her neared that point last teners and some special ers, principals and some
back we will overcome." job some years ago when week, de Blasio advised education students. El- parents said safety precau-
It can't be overcome soon one of her children had parents to prepare for a ementary schools opened tions and staffing were in-
enough for Darneice Fos- health problems. possible shutdown. Sept. 29 and high schools adequate, with the teach-
ter. She has four children, "Now, I really want my kids The mayor said the rate Oct. 1. ers' union at one point
ranging in age from 4 to 13, to catch up, and I'm one equaled that mark as of Even as the school system threatening to strike.
now set to be learning from person," she said. She said Tuesday. stayed open, nearly 1,500 The city agreed to chang-
home. she would "look on the sun- The city's public school stu- classrooms went through es, including hiring thou-
"I don't know what I'm go- ny side and just bear it for a dents will now be taught temporary closures after sands more teachers and
ing to do, except pull my few weeks," hoping schools entirely online, as most al- students or staffers tested testing 10% to 20% of all
hair out," she said. would reopen soon. ready are. As of the end of positive, and officials be- students and staffers per
The city's springtime stretch The city had said since October, only about 25% of gan instituting local shut- month for the virus. q

Prosecutors want 2017 arrest of teen in Floyd death trial

trial of a former Minneap- "As was true with the con- against Floyd's neck for And just like with Floyd,
olis police officer charged duct with George Floyd, several minutes while Floyd Chauvin ignored those
with killing George Floyd Chauvin rapidly escalated said he couldn't breathe. pleas and refused to pro-
want to introduce evi- his use of force for a rela- His death sparked a re- vide medical assistance,"
dence of a 2017 arrest in tively minor offense," Frank newed sense of outrage Frank wrote.
which they say the officer wrote in the filing. "Just like over the deaths of Black Hennepin County District
held his knee on the back with Floyd, Chauvin used people at the hands of Judge Peter Cahill has yet
of a 14-year-old boy and an unreasonable amount police and sparked mass to rule on Monday's mem-
ignored his pleas that he of force without regard for demonstrations. orandum.
couldn't breathe. the need for that level of In the 2017 arrest, the Chauvin and his co-de-
Assistant Attorney General force or the victim's well- 14-year-old was slow to fendants, Thomas Lane,
Matthew Frank, in a mem- being." comply with Chauvin and J. Alexander Kueng and
orandum filed in Hennepin Chauvin's attorney, Eric another officer's instruc- Tou Thao, were all fired
County District Court, said Nelson, argued that the tions, so Chauvin grabbed the day after Floyd's
the body camera video force used in the 2017 ar- the child by the throat, death. Chauvin is facing
This undated photo provided
by the Hennepin County that captured the boy's rest was in keeping with forced him to the ground second-degree uninten-
Sheriff's Office in Minnesota arrest shows that Derek department's then-policy and put his knee on the tional murder and man-
on June 3, 2020, shows, Chauvin uses unreason- on dealing with uncoop- boy's neck before plac- slaughter charges, while
former Minneapolis police able force when dealing erative suspects. ing him in a prone position the other three former of-
officer Derek Chauvin. with a suspect who does Floyd, a Black man who with a knee in his back, ficers are charged with
Associated Press not immediate comply was handcuffed, died in prosecutors said. aiding and abetting sec-
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Pros- with his orders, the Star Tri- May after Chauvin, who The boy told Chauvin ond-degree murder and
ecutors in the upcoming bune reported. is white, pressed his knee "he could not breathe. manslaughter.q