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Coronavirus News: 'We're looking at any and all options,' NYC mayor says about school in September

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

'All options' being considered for NYC schools in fall, mayor says

Mayor Bill de Blasio addressed what the school year could look like the fall for NYC students.

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- What will school look like for New York City kids in September? No one knows yet, but, "We're looking at any and all options," Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

The mayor said during a briefing on Tuesday that alternate options were being considered.

"A lot needs to happen," for things to return to normal, he said, while acknowledging that September is also a long way off. "We're talking about most of four months before school opens, there's lots of time to see what happens with the disease."

Among the different scenarios posed to the mayor were staggered school days, staggered school hours, partial distance learning, and distance learning. "Staggered hours or a hybrid approach," are being considered, he said.

However, "Plan A," Mayor de Blasio said, "is everyone goes to school in early September as usual, we're up and running at full strength."

"We know that there will be a new level of work required from us, from making sure our buildings are safe, to rethinking our health protocols, to addressing learning loss, providing heightened social and emotional supports, and trauma informed supports that are necessary," NYC Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said.

The chancellor and the mayor could not give a timeline for when a decision would be made.

"We will not reopen a day before public health officials say its safe," Carranza said.

"Health and safety first," Mayor de Blasio said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Tuesday that even moving at top speed, a vaccine or treatments will not be ready. Testing will be the key in determining whether students attending schools and colleges can feel safe.