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NYC Schools Updates: City Offers Free Meals For Remote Learners, But Pick-Up Must Be Done In Person At Local Schools
By
Sophia Chang
and
Jacob Dobkin
Published Sep 24, 2020
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By
Sophia Chang
and
Jacob Dobkin
Published Sep 24, 2020
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This is our daily update following the reopening of NYC schools for Thursday, September 24th, 2020.
Here's the latest:
- NYC Schools Devoted To Special Ed Students Open With Revised Routines, No More Hugs
- With remote learning underway for the country's largest public school system, some NYC teachers are frustrated by what they say is a lack of adequate tech support.
- We're looking at data around NYC schools as they reopen.
- Do you have a tip or story to share about schools reopening in NYC? Send us an email at [email protected] (we can keep you anonymous)
The city has touted its Free Lunch program as one of the great equalizers in its public school system since the program launched in 2017. This year, the need to feed the 1.1 million students in the public school system remains, even for remote learning days when they're not inside a school building.
The city will continue the grab-and-go meal program launched this spring for remote-learning students, though they'll have to pick up the food in-person from a nearby school.
“The health of our students is our first priority this fall, and that includes making sure every student has access to nutritious meals regardless of how they are learning. On days when students are learning remotely, families or students can pick-up grab-and-go meals from whatever public school is most convenient to them," said Department of Education spokesperson Nathaniel Styer in a statement Thursday. "Free meals for all in need will also continue at sites across the city.”
The grab-and-go breakfast and lunch meals must be picked up in person by students or their families from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on weekdays, at any public school that's convenient.
Learning Bridges, the city's childcare program for K-8 kids on their blended learning days, will feed participants as well. And students inside school buildings for in-person learning will receive free breakfast and lunch.
The DOE said access to the grab-and-go meals will not require registration and the food packages will be set up near doors and entry points for ease of access and pickup by students and families. The DOE did not immediately respond to questions about how crowd control and distancing measures will be enforced at meal pickup sites.
The city is also going to continue feeding adults through the grab-and-go program, though some changes will be implemented for student safety: "for example moving the hours to 3 – 5pm so that adults are not in the buildings getting food at the same time as student instruction," the DOE said. The city has distributed about 60 million meals since the program launched in March, according to The CITY.
The general grab-and-go meal program will start on September 29th, at 200 sites across the city, with dedicated kosher locations and halal options. Visit nyc.gov/getfood for more information.
Updated COVID Cases In Schools
The DOE released an updated list of schools with COVID cases on Wednesday which shows there are currently 120 schools on the list, including 13 added yesterday. Seven of those schools have been temporarily shut down for inspection, though most have reopened.
As schools reopen, we're using statistics to shape our education coverage. The below map is based on emails the Department of Education has sent out, containing the names of schools which have seen at least one case of COVID, as well as notes on whether the school has reopened.
If a school has two or more cases outside a single classroom, it can be shut down for two weeks. It appears no school has reached that point yet.
Numbers to watch: If the percentage of positive tests for New York City hits 3%, using a 7-day average, all schools will close. The rules for handling cases at individual schools are complex, and range from closing a classroom for 14 days and quarantining close-contacts if a single case is discovered, to closing the entire school if two cases are discovered in different classrooms.
Homeris Soto, a para-professional with Mosaic Pre-K Center in Queens, greeted students for the first day of school Monday.
Councilmember Calls For Tracking Students' Remote Learning Metrics
With the introduction of widespread remote learning this year for New York City schools, Councilmember Mark Treyger wants to track how students participated and their progress throughout what is already a highly irregular school year..
Treyger introduced a bill in City Council Wednesday that proposed the Department of Education track several metrics of remote learning participation, including data on what language access and support were available to English language learners during remote learning.
The bill by Treyger, who chairs the Council’s education committee, also seeks district-level information on remote learning participation broken down by class level, gender, race or ethnicity, and English language learner status, with a similar analysis broken out for special education students.
In particular, the bill also calls for accountability in how the DOE ensured that kids in juvenile facilities received remote instruction and how much information their parents received about the program, as well as how the DOE handled wellness calls during remote learning.
While the bill would become law this year if passed, Treyger noted that the metrics for the current school year wouldn’t be due until February 2021.
Update: DOE spokesperson Danielle Filson said “We’re committed to meeting the needs of our students during remote learning, and we track attendance daily. Our offices of Special Education, Multilingual Learners, and School Climate and Wellness already monitor data to make sure students are participating. We’ll review the legislation.”
Tagged
COVID-19
NYC Schools Updates
coronavirus
schools reopening
Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Jacob Dobkin
Jake Dobkin co-founded Gothamist with Jen Chung. In 2019, Jake released Ask a Native New Yorker, a book based on his Gothamist advice column.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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