Back to School

New York is in phase 4 of reopening, and there are less than three weeks left to go until the first day of public school in New York City.

Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza today announced the City’s Back to School Scorecard. With its blended learning model, socially distanced classrooms, mandatory masks, widely available testing, and contact tracing program, the City's plan for reopening schools is the strongest in the country and among the most rigorous in the world. The City will only open schools if transmission stays below 3%, exceeding the 5% standard set by the World Health Organization and New York State.

“With our record-low infection rate, New York City is the safest major city in America,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We’ve looked at what’s worked across the globe to create a plan for reopening schools that’s the absolute gold standard. My message to parents and our school communities cannot be clearer: we are taking every possible precaution to bring our kids back safely.”

New York City, the nation's largest public school district with more than 1.1 million students, is aiming to open the 2020-21 academic year by mid-September in a hybrid format. Most students would be in physical classrooms at most three days a week; though most parents are still waiting to learn their children's schedules. The city said Friday all parents would have those by Aug. 26.

Governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed that schools throughout NYC are permitted to reopen for in-person education, as long as they follow certain guidelines to keep students, teachers, and other school staff safe. The target opening date for NYC schools is Sept. 10. The specifics of reopening, along with students’ in-person learning schedules, will be left up to the state's 700 school districts, as long as they stay within the state's guidelines.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza released a reopening "Back to School Pledge" that outlines the City's safety and health commitments to students, parents, and the school community prior to the start of the 2020-2021 school year. The pledge includes:

Health and safety always come first
NYC public schools will be cleaned and disinfected, day and night
Students will learn five days a week

How the 2020 NYC School Year Will Be Set Up

In New York City, classroom attendance will be limited to 1 to 3 days a week (depending on the school’s student body size), likely with no more than 12 people allowed in one classroom at a time. Rest assured, “Schools will be in session five days per week. Students will be learning five days per week, no matter where they are,” Carranza said in an Aug. 10 briefing.

The NYC DOE created three models of in-person instruction that schools can choose from, based on the size of and what works best for the student body, along with an all-remote learning model parents can choose for any reason:

Model 1: "Students will receive in-person instruction for the same two days every week, as well as every other Monday."
Model 2: Students will receive in-person instruction 1-2 days a week.
Model 3 (available to middle and high schools only): Allows "students to be in-person two days and remote four days in a six-day cycle."

District 75 schools will have two additional model options. Students with IEPs will be offered in-person instruction to the fullest extent possible. Multilingual students, Carranza said, will receive instruction that will keep them progressing in both languages.

The deadline to enroll in remote-only learning for September was Aug. 7, but once the school year begins, you can choose to go fully remote at any time. We now know that 74 percent of NYC students will participate in in-person learning and 26 percent will begin the school year in fully remote learning. “We can expect about eighty-five percent of our teacher workforce or about sixty-six thousand educators to be teaching in a blended mode as well,” Carranza said in the Aug. 10 briefing. Approximately 15 percent of teachers have requested to work from home. "Those who are granted that accommodation will exclusively teach remotely but…they will still be engaged and devoted as ever to educating the children of New York City, because that's who they are," Carranza said.

De Blasio also announced that the city will offer free day care to 100,000 students for the days they are not going into school in person to help alleviate parents' stress of online learning.

In addition, more than 300,000 iPads have been distributed to those who need them to help provide a quality, online academic experience for New York City students. NYC teachers are also being trained to be more effective online instructors. According to Carranza, the curriculum will be updated to reflect the blended learning model and to "include appropriate social-emotional learning and mental health supports."

Teachers

The president of the United Federation of Teachers, one of the largest teachers' unions in the nation, is going head-to-head with Mayor Bill de Blasio, saying it's still unsafe to open schools.The United Federation of Teachers said on Wednesday that no schools in New York City should open unless they meet certain health criteria.

According to the union plan, before any school opens it must meet the following:
1) Schools must be stocked with cleaning supplies, PPE and proper ventilation.
2) Each school must have a clear plan of action and a COVID response team in place.
3) Every single person (students and teachers) must be screened and have evidence that they do not have coronavirus before being allowed to enter a school building.

The mayor responded last week by announcing, along with Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, what he is calling the city's Back-to-School Pledge outlining the city's safety and health commitments to students, parents, and the school community prior to the start of the school year.

NYC Schools have a lot planned for the 2020-21 school year. Watch now for more!

NYC's Back to School Pledge:

PPE and cleaning supplies will be supplied to all schools, and DOE will have a 30-day supply on hand at all times-with a hotline for principals to call for immediate resupply for their schools
There will be a full-time nurse in every public school building
Any school building or room found to have inadequate ventilation will not be used by students or staff
Students and staff will practice physical distancing in all school buildings
Students and staff will wear face coverings throughout the school day; if they do not have them, they will be provided for free
Students will remain in pods for as much of the day as possible
We will place hand sanitizer in every classroom
City-run testing sites will prioritize free COVID testing and expedited results for school staff; free testing is also available to all students, families, and New Yorkers citywide
We are encouraging all DOE employees to be tested monthly
NYC Department of Health and Test + Trace Corps will immediately investigate confirmed cases to prevent spread of the virus
Schools will communicate with all students and families when there are confirmed cases in schools
When necessary, classrooms or school buildings will temporarily close to maintain safety of school communities and prevent spread of the virus
School buildings will close if the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests in New York City is 3% or more using a 7-day average-the most aggressive threshold in the nation

NYC Public Schools will be cleaned and disinfected, day and night:

All school buildings will be disinfected overnight, every night
High-touch zones will be cleaned multiple times throughout each day
Electrostatic disinfectors will clean surfaces daily with zero physical contact

Students will be learning five days a week, no matter what:

Whether in-person or online, students will study in supportive environments with rigorous academic standards
Remote students will interact with their teachers every day
Student schedules-both remote and in-person-will be preset and consistent to allow families to plan
Academic instruction will integrate social-emotional learning and trauma-informed care to support students holistically
Teachers will have time each day to engage one-on-one with students and families

Hear about the DOE's commitment to health and safety for anyone in our buildings, and our promise to deliver learning to all our students, five days a week.

You can read the full pledge here.

Air Quality

Mayor de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Carranza also announced a multi-pronged approach to addressing, monitoring, and reporting air quality and ventilation in every building by the first day of school. As of now, every space occupied by students, teachers and staff in a school building will be inspected by a citywide team of independent professional engineers to assess each space and determine adequate ventilation. Inspection criteria and standards were developed based on a thorough review of guidance from the CDC and WHO, as well as expert review by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Building inspection results will be publicly shared on a rolling basis beginning this week through Friday, September 4^th.

The DOE will use the assessments to ensure sufficient ventilation by the first day of school. In instances where that is not possible, the room or building will not be used until repairs can be made.

The DOE has also purchased 10,000 portable air purifiers to be placed in schools by the first day. These devices are designed to remove particles from the air and reduce the risk of viruses being transmitted through the use of high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. Schools will be allocated portable air purifiers first for their isolation rooms and nurses’ offices, and then based on need identified during building inspections as an added layer of defense against airborne particles. More will be purchased if needed.

Every building will also be provided a CO2 testing device for custodial engineers to measure the level of fresh air. When a room is occupied, elevated levels of CO2 in an enclosed space are evidence of poor air circulation and ventilation. Every Custodial Engineer is being provided with a CO2 testing device to provide quick, on-the-spot information regarding indoor air quality. School leaders and staff can request a CO2 reading to ensure that air circulation is being maintained in a room. If a room falls outside of the parameters for what is safe, the issue will be elevated to the Division of School Facilities, and the room will not be used until air circulation is remedied and improved.

Proper air ventilation is a key component of stopping the spread of COVID-19. Per CDC guidance, it is highly recommended that schools:

·Increase the amount of fresh air in classrooms – whether by natural or mechanical means,
·Inspect, repair, and increase air filtration,
·Inspect and repair supply and exhaust fans,
·Deploy portable High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters.

·Ensure ventilation systems operate properly and provide acceptable indoor air quality for the current occupancy level for each space.

With its blended learning model, socially distanced classrooms, mandatory masks, widely available testing, and contact tracing program, the City's plan for reopening schools is the strongest in the country and among the most rigorous in the world. The City will only open schools if transmission stays below 3%, exceeding the 5% standard set by the World Health Organization and New York State.

How NYC Public Schools will Keep Students and Teachers Safe

“There's a lot of things that will change, but what will not change is our fundamental commitment to our children,” de Blasio said in the Aug. 10 briefing. “We've set very stringent standards. We have to meet those standards. If at any point the situation changes, I'll be the first to say it. But so long as we can meet those standards, we're going to be ready to serve our kids in September.”Here are some key things to know about how NYC’s public schools will keep everyone safe:

Face masks and social distancing are required.

All people in every school building will be required to wear face coverings and stay 6 feet apart from others. Disposable masks will be provided to whoever needs them. According to de Blasio, 4 million face masks will be distributed to NYC schools along with 210,000 safety signs to enforce social distancing.

The schools are severely limiting the number of students in the classroom at one time with the in-person learning models outlined above. Plus, the DOE is in talks with the diocese and archdiocese to use some of the former Catholic school buildings to give the public schools more room to spread out, according to de Blasio.

Schools will have hygiene supplies on hand.

The DOE is purchasing large orders of hygiene supplies for schools, including face coverings for students, teachers, and staff; disinfectant; and electrostatic sprayers. 3.5 million bottles of hand sanitizer and 80,000 canisters of disinfectant wipes will be distributed to NYC schools, along with 7,350 maintenance staff working to disinfect schools nightly. Schools will be disinfected with electrostatic disinfecting sprays. De Blasio also announced that every school building in New York City will have a certified nurse by the fall.

Parents won’t be allowed in school buildings, for the most part.

When asked about separation and issues with preschoolers transitioning into the school day, de Blasio said we have to be careful about parents coming into school buildings, so it largely won’t happen. “I can tell you many scenes from the childhoods of my children, where I thought in their youngest years, they were going to have a horrible separation experience and I was ready to stick with them and help them through, and what quickly became apparent is they couldn't wait to see their friends, and they said a very quick goodbye to me and ran into the classroom,” he said. “Our youngest kids are incredibly adaptable. …The first days as always will be a little bit challenging, but then we'll find a way to make it work.”

Test and trace protocols are in place.

All staff members will be asked to take a COVID-19 test in the days before the first day of school and will have priority for free, expedited testing at 34 city-run testing locations. All schools will be required to enact precautions to help prevent, identify, and address the spread of COVID-19, including:

An isolation room for students with symptoms with a staff member or health professional
Physical distancing and face coverings
Cleaning throughout the day and nightly disinfecting
Clear communication with families and the school community

If a student or teacher feels sick, they have to stay home and, if their symptoms are consistent with COVID-19, get tested. If a student feels symptoms while at school, they will be isolated by a dedicated staff member until they are picked up by their parent. Staff members who became symptomatic at school must immediately leave the building.

Parents might be concerned about how their kids will handle going back to school, and Carranza noted that schools will integrate social-emotional learning and “trauma-informed care” into instruction and prioritize providing students with mental health support. We will share more details on these plans as they become available.

Who's Not going Back to the Classrooms?

As of right now, only the Yonkers public school district, the fourth-largest in the state said it would go all virtual until early October.

Yonkers has nearly 30,000 students in 39 school buildings, and it voted last week to open school virtually on Sept. 8 and move to a blended approach on Oct. 5., with kids in class two days a week. The person in charge of Westchester County's largest school district, Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada, said the decision to hit pause was tough but necessary, and that they will work to help families who need computers.

For more information about NYC school click visit: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-year-20-21/return-to-school-2020