New York Mandate Podcast, Ep. 28: Parent and Advocate Adriana Aviles

“It’s just a cry for letting our parents to go back in the buildings. Let them volunteer. Let them be a part of their children's education, their daily activities in school. . . . DOE talks about partnership with our families, especially our struggling families. They want to ‘open the bridges’ and have these conversations, but if they're not allowed in the buildings . . . And you're making these obstacles especially for our most marginalized.”

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In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Adriana Aviles, a mother whose children attend New York City public school in Queens. She has started a Change.org petition advocating for unvaccinated parents and families to be allowed inside schools.

Since the fall of 2021, the Department of Education’s school visitor policy has required all visitors, including parents and family members, to present proof of vaccination in order to enter a DOE school building.

Adriana talked with me about what unvaccinated parents and families are missing because they’re not allowed to enter schools, how her own children have been affected by DOE mandates, and why she thinks the mandate for school visitors is still in place.

We also talked about how students have been affected by the loss of teachers who were fired for not complying with the mandate, and why so many NYC public school families are leaving the system.

If you think it’s important for people to hear Adriana’s perspective, please share it!

More from Adriana:

Follow her on Twitter.

Petition: Allow Access to Unvaccinated Parents/Families inside NYC DOE ClassroomsThis is the petition Adriana Aviles has started, requesting that DOE policy be changed to allow unvaccinated parents and other family members to enter school buildings.

Here are some links and videos related to things we talked about during the episode:

New York City Department of Education School Visitor PolicyThe DOE’s current school visitor policy requires everyone who is not a student to present proof of COVID-19 vaccination in order to enter a school building.

New York City Vaccinations by Demographic GroupOfficial data on the percentage of NYC residents vaccinated by age, race/ethnicity and sex.

Announcement of NYC Department of Education Employee Vaccine Mandate This is the August 23, 2021, announcement of the vaccine mandate for New York City Department of Education employees by then Mayor Bill de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter and Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi.New York Teachers for ChoiceThis organization of teachers and parents opposes medical mandates for employment. It was founded by New York City teacher Michael Kane.

City Council member Vickie Paladino announced her legislative package addressing vaccine mandates at this October 12, 2022 press conference on the steps of NYC’s City Hall. The package includes Resolution 0341-2022, Resolution 0342-2022, Resolution 0343-2022, and Local Law 0772-2022. All of them are currently still in committee.

Mayor Eric Adams announced at this September 20, 2022, press conference that he was ending the mandate that required New York City public school students to have proof of COVID-19 vaccination to participate in certain sports and extracurricular activities.

About the New York Mandate Podcast

The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.

In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.

Current mayor Eric Adams continues to support vaccine mandates, which currently cover all City employees. The Adams administration made the private-sector vaccine mandate optional on November 1, 2022, and is now encouraging employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.

The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.

Join the Conversation

Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a New York vaccine mandate? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].