New York City food service workers aren’t ready for school reopening
The new school year is just beginning for public schools in New York City and food service workers worry their working conditions will be unsafe to return to. While schools switched to online learning last spring, many workers continued to prepare food for the city’s grab-and-go meal program. Staff members like Traulane Agrusa were exempted from working in the kitchen under Matilda’s Law, allowing immunocompromised New Yorkers to stay home. However, the Department of Education has ordered workers to return in person on September 21. While the focus remains on the safety of classrooms, including School Ventilation Action Teams who will inspect classrooms, the same is not true for school kitchens. Even if the facilities have proper ventilation, some workers say that other safety precautions are not being implemented. Gothamist has the story.
