Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Wednesday of his plans for reopening schools in the fall. He plans to have 1.1 million students back in school by the fall.
What We Know:
- The new plan includes having teachers and students restructure their day-to-day lives, and they will participate in “blended learning.” De Blasio says, “Blended learning simply means at some points in the week you’re learning in person in the classroom, at other points of the week you’re learning remotely.” He announced that distance learning has its limitations, but it’s also improving. The American Academy of Pediatrics calls for students to be present in school as often as they can this fall.
- De Blasio will leave it up to the parents whether they allow their children to go back to school physically or if they choose remote-only learning. 75% of parents say they want to send their children back to school. They will be able to transition between all-remote and blended-learning models. De Blasio says, “Everything we do will be with a very high bar related to health and safety.”
- Blended learning includes students learning five days a week, a mix of in-person and remote learning; most students will be in school two or three days a week, ensuring safety in every school.
- Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza says face coverings will be required, and the schools will be cleaned day and night, and staff will be trained. There will be fewer students in the classroom, use cafeterias for classes, as well as updated entry, exit, and hallway layouts.
- There will be proposals for this plan, and schools will be expected to let parents know of their child’s schedule in August. The schedule for NYC’s schools restart is:
July 8: All principals provided with scheduling options
July 8: School budgets released to principals
July 15: Parent portal opens for families to sign up for fully remote instruction
July 16: First virtual Family Information Session
August 7: Deadline for families to opt for fully-remote instruction and staff to submit medical accommodation
NYC Governor Andrew Cuomo says the final decision will be made by August 1-7 and for districts to have plans by July 31. He says they will open schools if it is safe to do so.
