Argle Whitfield is a former pro-footballer and educator who has been the principal at the Trey Whitfield School in Brownsville, named for his late son, since its opening three decades ago.

Though it’s a private school, it’s facing many of the same concerns as New York City’s 1,800 public schools as they prepare to open for in-person learning. 

Whitfield joined In Focus to talk about some of the issues brought about by COVID, and a school year spent learning from home. 

He said safety is priority one at Trey Whitfield, and that, in order to protect their nearly 300 students, they are battling to get every teacher vaccinated, along with every eligible student, and he stresses the importance of having kids in the classroom. 

He also spoke to the difficulties involved in putting all these special COVID precautions in place when you get zero government funding. It’s a tough job, playing out in one of the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods where student safety has always been a concern.