With The Latest COVID-19 Evaluation Procedure, New York City Schools Will Reopen
Because of increasing coronavirus cases, Mayor Bill de Blasio declared Sunday that the nation’s largest school system will launch a staggered reopening next week just 10 days after shutting New York City’s schools.
Buildings for primary school students will reopen on Dec. 7, and District 75, which houses special students, will reopen on Dec. 10.
If they have already signed up for in-person instruction, students will only come back. There would be a consent statement signed by around 190,000 elementary students and their guardians. In total, around 335,000 students have selected in-person classes out of the 1.1 million in the city. Although de Blasio has not announced a timetable for reopening middle or high schools, five days a week instead of blended online and in-person courses. And any school with adequate capacity will ultimately shift towards in-person classes.
Previously, once the city hit a 3 percent testing positivity threshold, the city has a requirement that schools had to close if the city achieved a 3 percent testing positivity rate, which forced New York City public schools on Nov. 19 to close for in-person instruction. The mayor said the city is not going to use the law anymore.
One of the most important things we will do for their well-being is to get our children back into school buildings. Also it is so important that we do it right,” Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said in a statement. “In the first few months of school, the unprecedented importance of in-person learning for students has been clear. And we will do all we can to make our schools secure and keep them safe.”
In a press conference, De Blasio said that he focused on lower grades “because we know studies consistently show younger kids are having less of a negative experience. And there is less concern about the spread when it comes to younger kids.” He added that it is necessary to have small children “both educationally and socially.” in classrooms.
However, for 20 percent of those who take classes in person, each student and staff member must agree to weekly random COVID-19 examination.
Daily COVID-19 testing will be in place upon reopening. Testing permission forms is must for our students to resume,” de Blasio tweeted. “Finally, when we reopen, we will switch to in-person instruction 5 days a week whenever practicable. We want as much time as possible for our children in the classroom. Sometimes, our families do. We’re going to focus on making that happen.”
The teachers’ union of New York City said it approved the proposal on the condition of rigorous testing.
Under the ongoing state of emergency, Cuomo has final say over schools.
The governor said that they have new facts and new information on schools and just about every professional says the schools, especially [grades] K through eight, should be kept open whenever it’s possible to keep them open.
Also 130 patients were admitted to hospitals on Sunday. 1,636 new cases of the virus emerged in the area, the mayor said. The average weekly incidence of infection is 3.9 percent .
