Staten Island Councilman Joe Borellli, parents file lawsuit to reopen NYC schools

Staten Island City Councilman Joe Borelli joined parents in filing a second lawsuit seeking an emergency injunction to reopen public schools, he announced Saturday.

The Friday night filing in Manhattan federal court comes on the heels of Mayor de Blasio’s controversial decision to shutter all city schools due to rising COVID-19 cases.

“Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza have continued to fail our children time and time again,” Borelli said in a statement. “Even though they had six months to prepare for this school year, they failed to do so and our children are forced to pay the price.”

He added, “Remote learning has proven to be a failure and now they have taken the extra step of closing the schools completely. This is utterly irresponsible and unacceptable.”

Borelli and a group of Staten Island parents filed a lawsuit last month in Richmond County Supreme Court to demand a full reopening of schools. The suit complained that remote instruction is depriving students of an adequate education.

The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys Mark Fonte, Lou Gelormino and James Mermigis.

“Governor Cuomo said just two days ago that ‘the infection rates in the schools are very low and the infections are not coming from the schools,’” Mermigis said in a statement.

“Why are we closing our schools? This is just another example of the random and arbitrary decisions that are being made in Albany and City Hall. But now, we are hurting our children and this incompetence at the top is unacceptable.”

De Blasio said he stuck to a promise to parents and teachers before opening schools that he would shut them as a safety precaution if the positivity rate hit 3 percent on a rolling seven-day average.

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