New York City will reopen some of its schools next week for in-person instruction and will have more rigorous protocols in place to test for the Covid-19 virus.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza have issued a news release stating that students in preschool programs, as well as those in kindergarten through grade 5 who have opted for in-person learning, will return to school buildings on Monday, Dec. 7.
Schools serving students with the most significant disabilities will return on Dec.10. Middle and high schools will remain remote for the time being.
“Reopening our buildings is paramount to our city’s recovery from Covid-19,” says de Blasio. “That’s why we are doubling down on the safety and health measures that work to make in-person learning a reality for so many of our students.”
The city says that by the time students return to buildings on Dec. 7, a consent form for testing will be required for all students and staff. Every school will participate in weekly random testing for 20% of their in-person population.
Officials maintain that New York City schools are safe; the most recent positivity rate is 0.28%—453 positive cases out of 159,842 tests.
The school system also is working toward accommodating students in person five days per week. This includes about 300,000 students who have shown up for in-person learning so far, and the 35,000 students who opted in earlier this month. Administrators will work with schools to adjust schedules as needed with the goal of full-time in-person education in the coming weeks for the students who have selected that option.
New York City schools were first shut down in March as the magnitude of the Covid-19 crisis set in, The New York Daily News says, and the district scrambled to initiate online learning for 1.1 million students. Over the summer, the de Blasio administration twice postponed the start of the fall semester, eventually launching a mix of in-person and virtual learning in September.
A renewed citywide surge in the virus in November prompted the mayor to shut down schools again.
