NYC Department of Instruction investigating middle college COVID play

To jab or not to jab, that is the issue.

An Upper West Aspect middle university is struggling with a tempest from mothers and fathers immediately after staging a participate in which warned unvaccinated children would not have friends.

The December holiday break clearly show at MS 243 Middle Faculty on 84th Road and Columbus Avenue showcased about 10 fifth- to eighth-graders swaying back again and forth while belting out lyrics to the tune of ’80s strike “The Basic safety Dance,” which includes: “It’s secure to vax/and if your close friends really do not vax/then they ain’t no good friends of mine.”

The performance was much more PSA than participate in, hammering house the worth of vaccines by way of dance quantities, tunes, and skits that ridiculed any one not falling in line.

For the duration of just one sketch, kids held indications with the names of major pharma jab-makers “Pfizer” and “Moderna” painted in crimson and drawn into the define of a syringe.

A different scene had students mocking conservatives and all those searching for health care or spiritual exemptions to the jab. Some held indicators reading through “I panic God not COVID” and “I am not a science experiment.”

They had been pitted along with people intended to search ridiculous, such as one youngster dressed as a box of Kool cigarettes and yet another as Napoleon Bonaparte. Yet another student paraded around the phase as Jacob Chansley — the notorious horn-hat and fur-putting on Jan. 6 Capitol rioter who was not long ago sentenced to 41 months in prison.

Mother and father outraged by the theatrics stated later on the show should not have long gone on.

“It was an abomination,” explained mother Antigone Michaelides, who viewed the play with her partner. “It is discrimination and bullying and there is no explanation you should really make young children truly feel terrible about by themselves. Have not they been as a result of sufficient in two decades?”

Michaelides stated a number of unvaccinated little ones ended up essential to participate in the creation which denigrated their parents’ determination to maintain them unvaxxed. She explained the demonstrate has been developed by lecturers at the school and was aspect of a larger sized local weather of intolerance, and that unvaccinated little ones — like her son — were commonly singled out.

“I do know for a actuality that he’s been uncovered to hurtful things becoming explained all-around him. This I can tell you for a fact,” Michaelides stated. “Hurtful points were reported to him about the vaccine by other children.”

She shared her misgivings with in a furious letter to school superintendent Christine Loughlin.

“How is it appropriate for a teacher, or teachers, to endorse an agenda which encourages some little ones to switch in opposition to other kids at the very same university,” she questioned.

Loughlin did not respond to request for comment from The Publish.

“My partner and I are both lifelong Democrats. We do not method this from a political ideological stage of see,” Michaelides insisted. “But I cannot embrace bullying or discrimination and no moms and dads really should. So we are in a extremely hard posture right here. We really feel all on your own.”

A rep for Division of Instruction mentioned the agency is probing the matter.

“Every university student justifies to sense welcomed in their school and this incident was instantly referred for investigation,” reported spokesman Nathaniel Styer.

New York Town does not demand public university learners to be vaccinated in opposition to the coronavirus until they are taking part in “high-possibility extracurricular sports activities and actions,” in accordance to the city Office of Training.

Only 195 of M.S. 243 about 247 learners are presently vaccinated, principal Elaine Schwartz told mothers and fathers in a December email.