The Interview: UFT’s Michael Mulgrew on Fighting City Hall, Teacher Resignations and How the Pandemic Has ‘Made us Stronger’
Special Report: This is part of a collection of articles, galleries, and interviews that reflect on the last two years of disruptions to education caused by COVID-19. It examines what has been lost and what lies ahead. Stay updated with our coverage and explore our complete testimonial archive here.
To commemorate the 24-month mark since schools closed due to COVID-19, interviewed parents, educators, researchers, and students across the United States. We are featuring some of these interviews in their entirety to provide comprehensive accounts of where we have been and where some believe we are headed.
Related: 700 Days Since Lockdown: COVID’s Impact on Education
Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers, was aware of COVID-19 before many parents and educators had even heard of it. The union frequently clashed with former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio over safety protocols and reopening plans. However, union leaders also took charge of certain mitigation measures such as testing school ventilation systems. In January, Mulgrew spoke with about the lack of preparation for remote learning, the union’s efforts to provide support in the early days of the pandemic, and the lessons he has learned since then.
For the purpose of this article, the interview has been edited for length and to enhance clarity.
: It will be 700 days since most schools closed on February 14. That figure is quite astounding. What is your initial reaction to it?
Michael Mulgrew: It feels more like 7,000 days.
Can you recall the moment when you realized everything had changed? What were you doing before and after this realization?
We began monitoring the situation over the Christmas holidays. Some teachers had traveled to China during that time, so we had them quarantine upon their return. We started closely tracking and consulting our own infectious disease doctors as the situation escalated. It then became like a fast-paced race, with each day feeling like five days and the pressure mounting. I didn’t quite realize how heavily involved I was in making fast decisions and adapting to changing information until March 16th, the day after New York City Public Schools closed. I was driving around the city in my car, and I was in shock to see empty streets. That is when it truly hit me that this wasn’t a work of science fiction.
What were some of the challenging decisions you had to make in the first few weeks after schools closed?
The most difficult part was how to set everything up. How could we provide teachers with the necessary equipment and training? We were unprepared. There was only a small pilot program for virtual learning involving about 15 teachers for the entire city. It was a frantic rush to train everyone on how to adapt their classrooms for remote learning and to educate parents on how to support their children. It was a non-stop effort, with hundreds of decisions being made every day to find solutions and move resources around. Despite the lockdown, we were still mobilizing to deliver laptops and iPads to our members’ homes so they had the resources to work with.
On another note, there was no prior preparation. The mayor opposed school closures and refused to allow the Department of Education to develop contingency plans. Until the Friday before schools closed, he insisted on keeping them open. Then, on a Sunday afternoon, he made the decision to close them. So, we were completely caught off guard. Setting up any kind of remote learning system without any planning or training was extremely challenging.
What has been the most difficult aspect of the pandemic for you personally?
We were one of the last school systems to close, despite being in New York City, which was the epicenter at that time. We had to fight tooth and nail to close the school system. It was an intense and ugly battle, especially during that final week. We established a virtual executive board to meet every Monday night to maintain communication, and during those meetings, I had to read out the names of our members who had passed away. I had to make the heartbreaking phone calls to their families. We lost many members, and I can’t help but think that if we had closed earlier, we could have saved even more lives.
What gives you hope at this point?
The resilience of the people. I witnessed individuals who were terrified find ways to adapt and keep going. There was no manual for remote learning, but there will be now.
That’s the inspiration that fills me with hope because during the times when people needed to come together, they truly connected in those ways. They provided great support to each other during what was likely the darkest period of this pandemic.
What’s something about you or about unions that you feel hasn’t been understood since the beginning of school closures?
Throughout that entire time, our focus was on safeguarding the school, which includes us and the children. We had to fight for the closure of our schools, and then we had to fight for their reopening. We never opposed the idea. We always expressed our desire to open the schools. However, we had learned that we wouldn’t listen to doctors unless they were independent. Fortunately, we gained access to independent doctors who developed a safe reopening plan for us.
We all know that information about the pandemic keeps changing. We should have opened on time last year, but the mayor didn’t realize the gravity of the situation for us. We were determined to do it the right way, as we didn’t want to expose ourselves, our students, or their families to any additional danger by going to school. The last thing we wanted was for people to fall ill because they attended school or risk the lives of themselves, their families, or their school communities. Initially, only 35 percent of parents felt comfortable sending their child to school. This was over a year ago. Thankfully, that number has significantly increased since then.
Every school in New York City had a group of four or five teachers who took the responsibility to set up the school, put up signs, and train other teachers on various protocols – how to properly wear masks, how to guide children, what to do during mealtimes, how to maintain proper spacing, and managing the arrival and departure of students on buses. Over 3,000 volunteers undertook this task and trained their respective schools. Unfortunately, this effort often goes unnoticed. There was no financial reward involved, as it was not a part of our contract. The sole motivation behind it was our collective desire to ensure safety and open our schools, so we willingly took on the responsibility and got it done.
Ventilation was a major concern. Luckily, we were able to address it. I vividly remember last winter when we realized that the buildings were designed with large windows that could be opened to ensure ventilation during any future pandemics. This feature became a part of the school building code after the 1918 pandemic. Initially, some teachers would open the windows fully, even when it was freezing cold outside. We had to create a video for all the teachers, explaining that they only needed to open the windows halfway, about 3 inches each, to achieve adequate ventilation. In January of this year, on one particularly cold day, I was present in a school where a teacher had the windows opened wide. As I looked at the windows, she touched my arm and said, "I know I don’t need to open it that much, but my team teacher, whom I’ve worked with for 20 years, died of COVID a year ago." I responded, "You can keep that window open however you want."
Can you recall a moment when you received conflicting guidance or instructions? What did you end up doing and why?
The beginning of this year was incredibly frustrating because once again, everyone assumed that we were moving past the pandemic. We went from maintaining a 6-foot distance to reducing it to 3 feet for social distancing. Last year, we reopened schools without the availability of vaccines, and we did what was necessary. Now that vaccines are readily available and there is a strong desire for school reopenings, the New York City Department of Health suddenly issues new guidance. Three feet is no longer three feet; it has essentially become 18 inches. As a response, we fought, and continued fighting, against this change in guidance.
That initial conflict was likely the most significant one.
Have we gained a better understanding of what works in virtual learning compared to two years ago? What are the reasons for our understanding or lack thereof?
We never claimed that virtual learning would be the ultimate solution. Its purpose was always to maintain communication and engage our students. During that March and the remainder of the school year, it served as a lifeline between teachers, students, and their families. It’s important to remember that nobody was leaving their homes. School days ceased to exist. Teachers would teach as early as 6:00 in the morning and as late as 8:00 at night. Teaching happened at all hours. They did whatever was necessary to connect with parents, especially in the case of younger children where a parent could be present.
The following year is where we gained more insight. 65% of students’ parents chose remote learning for their children. It was a mistake to have each individual teacher figure out remote learning on their own. We believed it should have been a more centralized process, implementing the best practices we know. But the department, honestly speaking, didn’t want the responsibility of managing it. They preferred to let every teacher in the school handle it their own way.
We’ve learned a great deal. One significant finding is that the majority of students experience regression in a remote setting, which was to be expected. However, there was a small percentage of students who thrived in a remote setting. As a teacher, this tells me that we need to investigate further. If these students who were struggling in a traditional school environment suddenly excelled in remote learning, there’s something we need to explore moving forward.
However, it’s crucial to note that this is not an online college course. Many people mistakenly believed that we could simply place a camera in the middle of the classroom. That approach does not work for K-12 education.
How has this crisis impacted your union?
It has made us stronger. We have improved our communication significantly. We have utilized technology in ways that would have taken us years to adopt under different circumstances. We started conducting virtual town hall meetings, which was unprecedented for any union. Previously, in-person attendance was mandatory for union activities. These town halls attracted thousands of members, creating a sense of comfort and solidarity. As the union president, this was particularly reassuring to me.
We don’t have all the answers, but we are committed to supporting one another and doing our best. That’s why, in the middle of May after the initial shutdown, we made three promises: we will work towards reopening schools, we will consult independent doctors rather than those influenced by financial interests, and we will fight passionately to ensure we follow the recommendations of these independent doctors.
Have you ever felt like quitting or considered quitting?
Of course I have, and I believe most people in this profession have contemplated quitting at various stages throughout this crisis. There were extremely challenging times. The only way to overcome this is to endure it, and none of us anticipated it would last this long.
If you had the chance to travel back in time 700 days ago, what advice would you give yourself based on our current knowledge?
Always trust in the members, both the members themselves and their parents. Stand tall and fight relentlessly, pouring your heart and soul into everything you know once you have the necessary information. Simply keep your focus and continue to fight. In times of crisis, there have always been remarkable individuals who have risen to the occasion in various ways. Have faith in those who have devoted their lives to either healthcare or education. Whenever you encounter a problem or find yourself in a difficult situation, surround yourself with these people in the metaphorical foxhole.
