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In Major Shift, NYC Will Offer Public School Families Only One More Chance To Opt Into In-Person Learning
By
Elizabeth Kim
and
Jessica Gould
Published Oct 26, 2020
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Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
By
Elizabeth Kim
and
Jessica Gould
Published Oct 26, 2020
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Families currently signed up for the remote-only option in New York City public schools will now have only one more opportunity to transition to a mix of remote and in-person learning during this academic year, representing a major reversal from what city officials said in the summer and upending the plans of those who intended to join later.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, accompanied by City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, announced on Monday that families could enroll in the so-called blended option beginning on November 2nd through November 15th.
"This will be the only time to opt-in, which is a change from what we had originally said in the summer," Carranza said during his remarks.
He added: "We think this is better for the sake of stability for all students, for families and educators so we urge any family that's considering it to take advantage of this opportunity now."
A Department of Education official later echoed the chancellor's remarks, saying that principals had maintained that one opt-in period would offer more stability for school communities.
The first in-person day for students joining blended learning next month will be during the weeks of November 30th and December 7th.
At the outset, the mayor and Carranza had assured parents that they would be given a chance each quarter during the school year to switch into the blended option.
New York City is the only major school district in the United States to offer some in-person instruction during the pandemic. But a majority of parents have elected not to send their children back to schools even amid signs of relatively few infections in the city school system. Overall, across the country, there has been little evidence of schools driving outbreaks in communities.
Out of 41,113 tests performed to date on students and staff, only .15% have been positive, according to the Department of Education.
Still, confidence in the city's in-person learning program has been waning. As of last week, less than half, or 46% of roughly 1 million public school students, had signed up for the blended option, what some critics have said is an indictment against the city's plan. Back in August, when the city conducted its first survey, 74% were slated to attend in-person learning, although those who did not fill out the online form were by default registered for the school's hybrid program.
During Monday's press conference, de Blasio revealed that the true number of students showing up for in-person learning was even worse than surveys indicated: only about 283,000 children have shown up out of roughly 460,000 who signed up. Attendance among those students is around 83%.
By the morning, schools had already started emailing families about the impending deadline. News of only one opt-in period caught many parents off-guard, some of whom made their displeasure known on Twitter.
Deborah Alexander, a co-president of the education council for District 30 in Long Island City, Queens, recalled that during a town hall last week, Carranza said that shifting numbers were making it "impossible" for schools and teachers.
Under the plan, families can still elect to drop out of in-person learning at any point in the school year.
"The problem is this was not the understanding of a million families," Alexander said. She added that some parents had been planning to go back to in-person learning after the holidays so that they would safer about visiting family. Many parents may have also been waiting until next year when a vaccine is expected to be rolled out.
Alexander described the announcement as a "perfect storm."
"Not only is the change itself dramatic but parents have to decide within two weeks," she added.
Mark Treyger, a Brooklyn City Councilmember who chairs the education committee, called the mayor's change in policy "another blow in trust" between the city and families.
"He’s putting the onus on families and pressure on them for policy that he’s responsible for," he said, adding, "I don't blame families for feeling anxious and concerned. They don't have all the information in front of them."
Treyger, whose district includes virus hotspot neighborhoods like Gravesend that have been under increased restrictions, including school closures, due to coronavirus outbreaks, is one of several elected officials to demand that the city release a daily breakdown of COVID-19 test positivity rates by ZIP code.
Last week, Manhattan City Councilmember Mark Levine, who heads the health committee, told Gothamist, "The stakes are higher now because the city has made it very clear that there will be shutdowns where there are localized spikes. Those who live in already designated hot zones want to know."
Mayor de Blasio has said that such data might be confusing, since the state's three-tiered shutdown relies on the creation of zones that are based on cluster locations irrespective of ZIP codes.
The city's Department of Health currently updates case data by ZIP code every Thursday on the city's coronavirus data website, but it provides weekly averages as opposed to daily numbers, and contains a one-week lag.
Aside from infection data, the city has yet to provide more education data broken down by schools or district.
For example, it is not clear how many schools have been able to offer three days of in-person class on alternating weeks, the maximum number under the city's three scheduling models for blended learning.
In other cases, schools can offer as few as one to two days of in-person learning a week.
Treyger contended that schools in poorer districts have been limited in their ability to provide in-person learning because of a lack of staffing and other resources. That alone, he said, may dissuade many families from enrolling in the blended option.
He said he has asked the city to provide more robust data, including class sizes for both remote and in-person classes, broken down by individual schools.
During a City Council hearing on special education last week, city officials were unable to say how many special education students had been assigned with two teachers, as required by law.
Tagged
coronavirus
schools reopening
mayor bill de blasio
nyc schools
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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