6:01
Lydia Howrilka, a Brooklyn teacher and founding member of the UFT Solidarity Caucus, a group within the teachers union, said she was \"deeply disappointed\" by Carranza's PTA funding suggestion, which she said disadvantaged schools without wealthy PTAs. \"If he practiced what he preached and wanted to narrow the gap between rich and poor schools, the first step is fully funding schools, pushing the state to do the same, and not slashing school budgets,\" she said.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/Health/bns-valentinopier-2-ht-rc-200828_hpMain_4x3t_384.jpg\")
\"The idea of outdoor learning has real merit,\" Mark Cannizzaro, president of the principals union, said in a statement, but noted that the plan itself lacked detail and raised \"serious concerns around safety and security.\" Principals would have been able to implement outdoor learning more effectively if de Blasio had given them enough time and support to do so, Cannizzaro said. Without funding, the plan will \"exacerbate already existing disparities,\" he added.
\"As a result, we reiterate our call for a delay of in-person learning so that we can implement a safe and successful learning plan for our students.\"
When asked, the Education Department did not provide an explanation to ABC News about why giving the go-ahead on outdoor learning took so long, and instead focused on the department's quick timeline for responding to school plans for outdoor education.
\"We developed a thoughtful, coordinated, safe approach to outdoor learning that will give school leaders an answer within a week,\" Miranda Barbot, a spokesperson for the Education Department, said in a statement. \"This plan gives school leaders what they asked for -- flexibility, with a centralized and streamlined support structure that we are managing on their behalf.\"
For the schools with existing programs, like the sites in East Harlem, Central Brooklyn and the South Bronx that partner with Edible Schoolyard NYC, incorporating outdoor instruction could be seamless. For many others, the change is more complicated.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/Health/bns_shoreschool_plumbeach-ht-rc-200827_hpEmbed_4x3_384.jpg\")
\"Parent and teacher groups are telling me that they had little to no input on the city's return-to-school plans,\" said David Kirkland, executive director of NYU's Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and The Transformation of Schools. \"I fear rushing into this without further thought and input will backfire in ways that we can't begin to imagine.\"
Justin Krebs, a parent leader at an elementary school in Brooklyn and self-described enthusiast for outdoor learning, said he hoped that the city's messy unveiling of the program won't distract from the benefits outdoor schooling offers kids.
\"Just because the rollout and announcement were unsatisfying and haphazard doesn't mean it can't turn around,\" Krebs said. \"Not as a panacea, but as one piece of the puzzle.\"
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/Health/bns-farm-exploration-ht-rc-200827_hpEmbed_23x16_384.jpg\")
Krebs acknowledged that de Blasio encouraging schools to seize the opportunity for outdoor learning quickly, while offering little guidance as to how to implement individual programs, would inevitably favor schools with robust resources. His school has already submitted its outdoor learning plan. Principals at less well-resourced schools are trying to figure out how to feed food-insecure students, secure laptops for kids who don't have them, or staff up if they have an aging teacher base, he explained.
\"A lot of underserved schools are going to have to skip it,\" he added. \"Even if they would benefit just as much.\"
As an educator, Howrilka also worried about keeping her students safe in an outdoor environment.
\"There was a shooting outside a block away from my school last fall,\" Howrilka said. Clara Barton High School, where Howrilka teaches history, went into lockdown during the shooting, as did several surrounding schools. No one was hurt, but teachers and students were shaken by violence so close to campus. Howrilka also noted that cars have crashed into outdoor dining set ups in recent weeks. \"If a crime or altercation were to happen close to where I am trying to hold my history classes, how can I protect my students and myself?\" she asked.
She had additional concerns about keeping her teaching supplies out of the rain and about cold fall weather.
Liza Engelberg, the director of education at Edible Schoolyard NYC, said that she felt for teachers and principals trying to rapidly organize safe spaces and outdoor learning equipment. \"It's a lot for a school to have to figure out on top of everything else that they're trying to figure out,\" she said.
As for the weather, she thinks that if New York City schools have rain tents, they should be able to make it through Thanksgiving before they head indoors. \"If you're not getting rained on, you can handle a lot,\" she said of the cold. Given what we know about coronavirus transmission inside, indoor spaces aren't necessarily more comfortable for students or staff, she noted.
Engelberg hopes schools won't get hung up on trying to overhaul their curriculum for the outdoors. \"There are many ways to take kids outside,\" she said. An outside learning plan could be as simple as having students read or eat lunch outdoors.
School principals have until Friday, Aug. 28, to submit their plans for outdoor learning to the Education Department.
Tune into ABC at 1 p.m. ET and ABC News Live at 4 p.m. ET every weekday for special coverage of the novel coronavirus with the full ABC News team, including the latest news, context and analysis.
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