Associated Press reports that New York City delayed the start of its school year by several days to give teachers more time to prepare for having students back in classrooms amid the coronavirus pandemic, quoting Mayor Bill de Blasio.
In a deal with unions representing teachers, staff, and administrators, instruction that was supposed to begin on Sept. 10 will be delayed until Sept. 16. All students will spend the first few days learning from home, by computer, before in-person instruction begins for some students on Sept. 21.
The city’s plan to restart schools includes face masks, staggered schedules to reduce the number of students in rooms, supplying every school building with a nurse, and asking all staffers to get tested shortly before school starts.
New York City students had their last day of in-class instruction March 13. All schools statewide were closed by March 18.
During the summer, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state would allow a return to in-person school in regions where fewer than 5% of people tested for COVID-19 came back positive. The state has been under that threshold all summer.