New York City Mayor, Bill de Blasio, has pushed the school reopening from September 10th to 21st, where he indicated that students will be expected to be returning back for in-person classes. This came amid a confusion that the City’s teachers union threatening to strike if a solution about teachers’ safety was not addressed.
The postponement of the school reopening saw 1.1 million students in New York City affected. However, it also quelled the fears of safety among parents, teachers and principals who had expressed doubts about the preparedness of the city.
The move was announced on a press conference that had been attended by the New York Mayor, New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew and other labor union leaders. They also indicated that the school reopening will involve both online learning and in-person learning hybrid system.
The New York City Mayor’s plan on reopening
The New York City Mayor indicated that the added time will give teachers an opportunity to prepare for the school reopening. It will also help city schools and health officials to hire additional nurses that will assist schools when they reopen.
The postponement also included a mandatory virus testing that would ensure that students who are asymptomatic are detected. The Mayor indicated that each school will have a set number of tests they are supposed to have carried out per month in order to assess the coronavirus situation in schools.
He continued by saying that his administration had an obligation to ensure a safer return to schools even if it meant delaying the school reopening. He also promised that the reopening will run smoothly even under the extremely challenging conditions they are currently fighting.
De Blasio is committed to opening in-person school learning, indicating that he was optimistic that it would run smoothly and would be safer for students and teachers. He is the only Mayor in a big school district attempting to reopening in-person classes, with districts such as Los Angeles indicating that they will be reopening exclusively distance learning.
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