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 The schools, which make up the country's largest school system, were
closed less than two weeks ago after the citywide rate of
coronavirus tests coming back positive exceeded a 3% benchmark
agreed to by the mayor and the teachers' union.
"It's a new approach because we have so much proof now of how safe
schools can be," de Blasio told reporters, saying the 3% benchmark
was being scrapped and pointing to research that shows young
children appear to be less vulnerable to COVID-19. On Sunday, the
city's seven-day rolling average of positive tests was 3.9%, de
Blasio said.
Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, who joined the mayor at a news
conference, said with the new measures he believed the city could
"safely and successfully keep our schools open for the duration of
this pandemic."
Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers,
said in a statement that the labor union was supportive of the
mayor's phased reopening so long as "stringent testing was in
place."
New York City, which teaches more than 1.1 million students in its
public schools, was one of the few jurisdictions in the United
States to attempt to reopen schools in the autumn as the country
continues to struggle with the world's deadliest outbreak of the
coronavirus, and its efforts are being widely watched. But it closed
classrooms back down in mid-November, less than eight weeks after
they had begun to offer in-class lessons.
Some New Yorkers were frustrated to see schools close down again
while gyms were allowed to operate and restaurants could offer
indoor dining in most areas under rules enforced by New York
Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has publicly feuded with de Blasio over
how best to tamp down the virus' spread.
"I think that's the right direction," Cuomo said of the mayor's
announcement on a later conference call with reporters. Health
experts said schools "should be kept open whenever it's possible to
keep them open safely," he said.
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Pre-kindergarten classes will also reopen Dec. 7 alongside elementary schools.
Schools that serve children with special educational needs, known as District 75
schools, will reopen Dec. 10. De Blasio said middle schools and high schools
would reopen at later dates that had not yet been set.
Many families had opted for remote learning even as classrooms reopened in
September, but the city also offered "blended" learning, with students attending
in-person classes a few days each week if they agreed to monthly coronavirus
tests.
With the reopening of schools next month, to enter a classroom, students must
have a signed consent form agreeing to coronavirus testing or a letter of
medical exemption from a doctor, de Blasio said. Tests will be soon be carried
out in schools on a weekly, not monthly, basis, but only about a fifth of
students will be tested in a given week.
The mayor said the plan was to have in-person learning five days a week where
possible when schools reopen.
The governor retains the power to override the city and close schools in
neighborhoods where the test positivity rate surges, de Blasio noted. The city
will also monitor schools' coronavirus test results, and may close down any
individual classrooms or entire schools where multiple cases are reported.
The United States has reported over 4 million new cases so far in November and
over 35,000 coronavirus-related deaths, according to a Reuters tally, with more
hospitalizations than ever this year and deaths reaching their highest level in
six months.
(Reporting by Jonathan Allen; Additional reporting by Lisa Shumaker; Editing by
Leslie Adler)
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