Pedestrians pass an entrance to Stuyvesant High School closed due to coronavirus concerns in New York. The | AP Photo / John Minchillo
New York City officials said Friday that the nation’s largest school system will not reopen for in-person instruction unless the city coronavirus the infection rate remains below 3 percent on a seven-day moving average.
Key context: Mayor Bill de Blasio and School Chancellor Richard Carranza announced test and trace protocols for public schools Thursday night. Decisions to quarantine classrooms or close schools will be based on the facts of each investigation, authorities said.
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The Covid-19 infection rate in New York City has been less than 3 percent since June 10, the mayor said.
“We are going to keep New York City at a very high level, our schools at a very high level,” de Blasio said during a press conference on Friday morning. “We will not reopen our schools unless the city’s infection rate is less than 3 percent.”
Impact: If the infection rate exceeds 3 percent, the city will close schools and transition to remote learning. De Blasio said child care will remain the same regardless of the setting, noting that officials are working to develop that plan. But, the mayor warned, the city has to prepare “for a very non-linear experience.”
The city also plans to release laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 cases. In the spring, the Department of Education faced criticism when it failed to publicly confirm positive cases in schools. The DOE attributed this to the large volume of cases.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said schools can reopen if their region is in reopening phase four and has a daily infection rate of 5 percent or less on an average of 14 days, according to the CDC guide. The city said it chose the 3 percent threshold as it is the epicenter of cases in the state and one of the most densely populated places in the entire country.
Carranza, the schools chancellor, said staff will be asked to get tested before school starts, with a 24-hour response time for the results.
Carranza said officials have been in constant contact with the United Federation of Teachers, the union that represents city teachers, and the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, which represents principals, and noted housing for people with disabilities. pre-existing. Both unions participated in the formation of the city plans.
The Archive and Rank Educators Movement (MORE-UFT), a social justice caucus within UFT, has threatened illness, and Michael Mulgrew, president of UFT, has said it’s not safe to reopen moneyless schools for needs like nurses.
Whats Next: Mulgrew said in a statement Friday that the standards the city has proposed for the protection, testing, and closure of schools and classrooms do not go far enough.
“We need randomized testing of school communities throughout the year and a vigorous contact tracking system that delivers results to schools and a 24-hour course of action with a change,” he said. “Furthermore, even if there are stricter safety regulations, we still have serious concerns about the city’s ability to effectively enforce them in all schools.”
CSA President Mark Cannizzaro sent the city a list of 141 questions that the union wants answered before schools can reopen.
“Do we agree on everything? Absolutely not,” Carranza said. “The rigor the mayor talked about also comes from those conversations where we want to be able to keep people safe.”
Still, Cannizzaro said the union disagrees with the city’s current plans, noting concerns about safety protocols and instructional designs and school leaders obtaining resources.
“We have met with the DOE to communicate these concerns and we will continue to fight for common sense protocols that protect our school communities and give children the education they deserve,” he said in a statement.
