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Everything We Know About The Reopening Of NYC Schools This Year
By
Sophia Chang
Published Sep 1, 2021
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By
Sophia Chang
Published Sep 1, 2021
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As nearly one million New York City public school students and their families prepare for the new 2021-2022 school year, city officials have updated COVID-19 protocols for the public school system — but key questions are still unanswered.
We'll be updating this page as we get more information. You can also send us tips and questions at [email protected]. Here's what we know so far:
When is the first day of public school?
Monday, September 13th.
Will there be a remote learning or hybrid option this year?
As of late August, Mayor Bill de Blasio has insisted that all students will return to in-person classes this fall and there will be no remote option except for when COVID-positive kids must be in quarantine at home.
My child has serious medical conditions and I don’t want to send them to school in-person. What are my options?
The Department of Education said in an August 26th handbook to parents (PDF) that students with underlying conditions can apply for Home Instruction, where a teacher visits homebound students for an hour a day (sometimes more) five days a week. The program has traditionally served about 1,300 students on average and the arrangement is usually temporary as kids recover from surgery or other procedures.
This year, the DOE has expanded the program for kids with the following conditions: active cancer, chronic renal diseases, sickle cell, gastro/Crohn’s disease, thalassemia, leukemia, metabolic disorders, heart conditions, muscular dystrophy, adrenal disorder, cystic fibrosis, liver disease, tumor, congenital lung disease, congenital heart condition, lymphoma, cerebral ataxia, seizures, stroke and multiple sclerosis.
What is the health screening form that my student will have to fill out every day before going to school?
Before entering the school building each day, students and staffers must all complete a form to “confirm that they are not experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, have not recently tested positive, and are not currently required to quarantine based on close contact with an infected person,” the DOE says, similar to the forms required last year.
Will the city continue the random testing of students and staff this year?
The city plans to randomly test 10% of each school’s unvaccinated population twice a month this school year to prevent COVID-19 transmission, a reduction from the previous year’s policy that tested 20% of the school population weekly.
Read More: NYC’s Plan For Testing Unvaccinated Students Allows Parents To Opt Out—With No Consequences
Like last year, this year’s testing protocol will also depend on students submitting consent forms to agree to testing. Vaccinated students and staff will not be tested in this program.
What is the masking policy at school?
New York City public schools require masks on all students and staff even if they are vaccinated anywhere on school property — indoors and outdoors — and while riding on school busses. Students and staff with medical exemptions will not be required to wear a mask.
Do kids have to bring their own masks to school?
Students and staff are expected to bring their own masks, though every school has a supply of disposable masks. Schools will have hand sanitizer in each classroom as well.
What about lunchtime?
Students and staff can remove their masks to ”eat comfortably at a safe distance” from each other. The DOE said “schools will use outdoor spaces and additional spaces in school buildings where possible to support physical distancing. Meals may be served in multiple locations and during multiple time periods.” But many parents and teachers remain worried about transmission while the kids are unmasked and eating.
What are the city’s expectations for teachers and adult staffers to be vaccinated?
Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that all 148,000 DOE employees — including teachers, administrators, cafeteria workers and custodians — must show proof that they have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines by September 27th.
Are kids required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend school?
While New York state requires K-12 students to be vaccinated against a dozen other diseases, there is no current COVID-19 vaccination mandate for children in New York City public schools. Mayor de Blasio has repeatedly encouraged parents to get their children vaccinated if they’re eligible.
As of August 30th, more than 61% of the city's population between the ages of 12 to 17 had received at least one vaccine dose though the city's data doesn’t say whether the school-aged recipients are private or public school students. The vaccination rates also vary greatly across boroughs and racial groups, according to the Department of Health.
What about kids who want to play a school sport this year?
Students wishing to participate in Public School Athletic League’s high-contact sports like lacrosse, basketball, football and volleyball will have to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19.
If I want to get my child aged 12 and up vaccinated, where can I find more information?
In addition to the resources found at vaccinefinder.nyc.gov or by calling 877-VAX-4NYC, the city has launched a back-to-school vaccination blitz with pop-up clinics and events at various school and sports sites.
How will school buildings be ventilated?
The Department of Education said every classroom has been inspected “for adequate ventilation and provisioned with “two HEPA purifiers,“ regardless of ventilation status. Large school spaces such as cafeterias will use larger-capacity purifiers as appropriate.”
A WNYC/Gothamist analysis of school ventilation surveys found that while many school buildings report 100% operational classrooms, 19 city-run structures have ventilation problems in half or more of their classrooms, as of August 29th. There have also been questions about the cost and efficacy of the air purifiers procured by the DOE. The city purchased Intellipure model air purifiers which lack HEPA filters, considered the industry standard for filtration. The CDC’s school guidance calls for portable air cleaners that use HEPA filters and for non-HEPA filters to be clearly labeled.
The DOE has said the Intellipure purifiers exceed HEPA standards, but an independent analysis showed the devices offer less ventilation than competitors. A CDC ventilation expert told The Classic that “the biggest concern with air cleaners claiming ‘HEPA-equivalent’ performance is how they perform over time. As a true HEPA filter loads with particles over time, the overall filtration efficiency will only increase. The same can not necessarily be said for other technologies.”
Is my kid’s school building able to maintain social distancing?
Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, the DOE said the schools should plan for 3 feet of social distancing “wherever possible.” The city also plans for elementary schools to “keep groups of students consistently together” or “have teachers move between classes in order to minimize movement of students” if possible.
“It is important to note that the CDC emphasizes that schools should not exclude students from in-person learning to keep a minimum distance requirement,” the DOE said in its Aug. 26th handbook to parents. But dozens of city schools are severely overcrowded, raising concerns about whether the social distance guidance can be carried out at all.
What is the city’s threshold for the number of COVID-19 cases before they close a school?
This year, city officials are not setting a specific number of COVID cases to close a school. Instead, the city will only consider closures if there is “widespread transmission” in a school, the DOE said, but there haven’t been specific criteria released on what “widespread transmission” would look like. The CDC guidance doesn't offer a specific cutoff for unplanned school closures, but all five boroughs are currently experiencing more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents—which the CDC classifies as a "high" rate of community transmission.
Last year, schools closed whenever there were two reported cases of COVID-19 in different classrooms within a week that were traced to a known exposure inside the school, a policy that was eventually amended to four reported cases after schools repeatedly opened and closed.
What are the DOE's quarantine policies for COVID exposure in schools this year?
The DOE announced several strategies when a COVID-19 case occurs in a student this fall:
- For elementary schools, with younger students under the age of 12 who are not currently eligible to get vaccinated, a positive COVID-19 diagnosis in a classroom will mean all students will be quarantined for ten days while receiving remote learning.
- For middle and high school classes, fully vaccinated students and staff who are exposed to confirmed cases but remain asymptomatic can continue to attend school and will be “encouraged” to take a COVID-19 test three to five days after potential exposure.
- Fully vaccinated students and staffers who are showing symptoms will be directed to quarantine for ten days and will have access to remote learning while in quarantine.
- Unvaccinated middle and high school students will be directed to quarantine for 10 calendar days. But they can exit it after seven days with proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken on the fifth day of quarantine.
What will quarantining students do to keep up with classwork?
Elementary students will receive “live online instruction” by their classroom teachers provided full-time while they are quarantining, according to Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter.
Middle and high school students will have “access to remote learning” while they are in quarantine, though it was not immediately clear if the instruction will be asynchronous or synchronous with in-person classes. It was also not immediately clear who will be teaching the "remote learning" to the quarantined middle and high school kids if their classrooms have some kids who are vaccinated and could continue going to school.
Has the city sent out devices in case students need to quarantine?
Chancellor Porter said the city has already distributed “over 500,000 devices —wifi-enabled, LTE-enabled devices— in the hands of our children.” It’s unclear if any of the city’s nearly 1 million schoolkids are still awaiting devices. The DOE has a list of resources to request help and to find low-cost or free internet access.
What about snow days?
No more snow days—foul weather that would have cancelled school in previous years will now be system-wide remote learning. Other planned remote learning days including Election Day, November 2nd.
Tagged
COVID-19
coronavirus
schools reopening
mayor bill de blasio
Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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