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New York City’s public school system, the largest in the United States, will delay opening classes by 11 days until Sept. 21 under an agreement with unions that lobbied for stricter security measures against the coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio said today.
The deal, which comes as U.S. school systems grapple with the pandemic and pressure from the Trump administration to reopen school buildings, would uphold the city’s plan for a combination of classroom and remote learning. .
“What we agreed to do is to make sure the health measures are in place, to make sure there is time for the proper preparation of our educators,” de Blasio said in a briefing.
In Los Angeles and Chicago, the second and third largest school systems in the country, students begin the academic year with only online instruction.
New York unions, led by the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), had expressed concern that the city was rushing into the school year scheduled for September 10 without taking adequate measures to protect the students. teachers, students, and infection staff.
UFT President Michael Mulgrew threatened a strike last month, which would be illegal under state law, unless schools implemented a rigorous Covid-19 testing plan and other safety measures.
Today, Mr. Mulgrew and union leaders representing principals, administrators, and other school personnel joined Mr. de Blasio in applauding the agreement.
“Our medical experts have sealed this plan, and we can now say that the New York City public school system has the most aggressive policies and the greatest safeguards of any school system in America,” said Mulgrew, whose union represents 133,000 teachers and other educational programs. workers.
The deal requires monthly testing of 1.1 million students of the system, as well as teachers and staff, authorities said.
Also included are 30-day supplies of masks and other personal protective equipment at each school, social distancing procedures, working ventilation systems in buildings and safety measures for students on buses, they said.
Teachers would report to schools on September 8 as planned to give them additional time to familiarize themselves with safety procedures, as well as tailor their classes to the combination of classroom and remote instruction set for this year.
Remote instruction for students should begin on September 16, as teachers and staff continue to prepare for the September 21 opening of the system’s 1,800 school buildings.
“We have heard from our educators, we have heard from our school leaders, we have heard from everyone in our schools who have said we need more time,” said City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza.
Under the “blended learning” plan that de Blasio announced in July, students would spend two days at school and three days learning at home, and then reverse the sequence the following week.
The plan was intended to strike a balance between the safety of online learning and the risks of face-to-face instruction, which educators have said is more effective.
New York, the American epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic when it emerged in the spring, has reduced its infection rate to one of the lowest in the country. Daily tests in New York City have shown positive results of less than 2% and sometimes less than 1% for several weeks.
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