https://soundcloud.com/user725774178/radio-project?si=cc4e6338dc8e4a7eaf1a87983232a830
NAT: Elementary school hallways
Host Intro: As the world goes back to normal, NYC has implemented tools such as the vaccine mandate. As we’ve seen in recent news one of the biggest problems, we’re facing is getting the city fully vaccinated. With discourse coming from both sides, we see people refusing to go back to work and because of this, places such as New York city public schools end up disproportionately affected. I sat down and spoke with Judith Crespo, a social worker at Bronx public school P.S.75 about her experience as the city now requires everyone to be vaccinated.
ARIANA: Could you give me a general sense of how it’s going since the recent vaccine mandate?
JUDITH: In my school we only have three teachers that have not showed up because of the mandates. One is a speech teacher and there’s another speech teacher in the school, so she’s taking her, or part of her caseload… of course she couldn’t take all of the kids, so I guess some kids are being unserved for speech and language.
JUDITH: The other two are teachers, and they’re being covered by subs.
ARIANA: As for students in the classroom, have they been mostly compliant with mask the mandate?
JUDITH: For the most part, which I’m surprised to be honest with you, but you can see them sometimes with the masks under the nose.
ARIANA: And for the middle school you work at?
JUDITH: The same… and in that middle school the psychologist is not there because she’s pregnant and she didn’t want to get vaccinated. So, we don’t have a psychologist in that school… right now her cases are being put on hold.
ARIANA: Has the dynamics changed between you guys since?
JUDITH: No, no, not really it has not affected me or the kids that I see.
NAR: I also spoke with middle schooler, Jaylie Cuevas who attends Bronx public school 71. She gave some insight to school life and how it is being back in person.
AMBI: Sounds of children going to class.
ARIANA: How has school been, ever since navigating the return?
JAYLIE: I mean, it’s different but I feel like before it was going to be more different than it actually is. I feel like it hasn’t really impacted much, other than the masks, it pretty much feels the same.
ARIANA: Any of your friends not vaccinated?
JAYLIE: Two of my friends do, and then one of them her parents don’t want her getting it, but she wants to get it. But because her parents don’t want her getting it, there’s not much she can do about it.
ARIANA: Most of you guys are vaccinated?
JAYLIE: I’d like to think so…. I have no idea to be honest… I only know two of my friends are vaccinated. But I don’t ask anyone else because that’s kind of private. I feel like it’s not my right to ask or know.
ARIANA: Are there some teachers in your school who are against it? How’s that been? The relationship between students and teachers.
JAYLIE: There’s two teachers who don’t want to get vaccinated, so they aren’t allowed to come back. There’s a couple teachers where you’ll see them around and they won’t be wearing their masks. Other than that, most teachers are okay with the vaccine and even if they’re not, they still got it anyways.
ARIANA: Are you excited or nervous to see what’s going to happen with colds and how that’s going to be in the classrooms?
JAYLIE: I’m kind of nervous about them possibly closing school for a period of time but as long as it’s not like before where we didn’t go to school for a year and a half, then it’s not really a big deal.
AMBI: School dismissal bell sound
TRACK: I’m Ariana Milian, reporting from Baruch College.