New York City public schools will be closed through the remainder of the school year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The mayor closed schools in the middle of March, and local officials were hoping schools could reopen in mid-to-late April, but that will not happen, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced during a Saturday press conference.
“It’s not an easy decision. It’s not a decision that is satisfying for all of us who have devoted so much time to make sure our kids got the very vest education, but it is the right decision,” he explained.
He also added that opening the schools would be unrealistic, given the amount of preparation needed to do it safely, while noting that bringing students back in June does not make much sense from an academic standpoint.
De Blasio later laid out a five-point plan designed to help students continue their education at home. The plan includes providing internet-enabled devices to all students by the end of the month. To date, the city has distributed 66,000 devices, but they need 240,000 more devices for other students. Additionally, the mayor hopes to expand the parental help line through longer hours and increased staffing while also launching new online activities.
The other two aspects to the plan the mayor laid out include figuring out what to do regarding the graduating class, and he explained that the city’s new focus is making sure the schools can be reopened in September, and it’ll include an emphasis on mental health.
New York has become the epicenter of the virus in recent weeks. In recent days, the state surpassed every other nation in reported coronavirus cases excluding America’s own nationwide total, but some countries have been accused of falsifying data. New York has approximately 160,000 cases, which is slightly more than Spain and Italy, two of the hardest-hit countries.
UPDATE: After publication, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo contradicted de Blasio’s announcement, saying that only he has the authority to reopen schools or keep them closed.
