NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this morning how schools will open in the fall, and to put it mildly, working parents are about to get screwed.
Families, get ready for “blended learning”:
The city's plan to go back to school is being described as "Blended Learning" @NYCMayor says next school year students will learn in person at school as well as learn remotely. It will be 5 days a week with most students in school 2 or 3 days a week.
— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) July 8, 2020
Basically, schools will operate on a schedule where kids are in class 2-3 days per week on online on the other days:
"Most schools will not be able to have all their kids in school at the same time. And schools that have historically been overcrowded are really going to struggle," @NYCMayor says. "It makes very clear the approach we will use is blended learning."
— Jillian Jorgensen (@Jill_Jorgensen) July 8, 2020
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“Most” students, he says:
Students will learn five days a week, a mix of in-person and remote. Most students will be in school two or three days every week, @NYCMayor says.
— Jillian Jorgensen (@Jill_Jorgensen) July 8, 2020
There’s a chance at the crowded schools that 2-3 days per week is a pipe dream:
.@DOEChancellor now citing an example of a "three cohort" model — for a more crowded school that can only host 33% of kids at a time. Most weeks kids will only be there two days, though every few weeks they will be there three days.
— Jillian Jorgensen (@Jill_Jorgensen) July 8, 2020
As for working parents and for teachers who have kids in the public school system, how the f*ck does this work?
Schools will create clear schedules in August so parents know exactly which days their children are expected to attend in person. This is going to be, to put it mildly, complicated!
— Jillian Jorgensen (@Jill_Jorgensen) July 8, 2020
They want to get class sizes down to 9-12 kids:
.@DOEChancellor says optimal class size is 9-12 people. Gonna take a lot of finding extra space for many schools to be in the two-cohort model, I would think.
— Jillian Jorgensen (@Jill_Jorgensen) July 8, 2020
Narrator: This will not be the best school year in the city’s history:
The mission is to make it the best school year in the city's history, @NYCMayor says. The focus will be learning in small groups and ensuring safety.
— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) July 8, 2020
It’s still TBD on just where they’re going to get the extra space:
.@DOEChancellor says social distancing rules will involved fewer kids in each classroom, use of large spaces like cafeterias, auditoriums, gyms for classes, and update entry and exist layouts. They're working with the School Construction Authority to find new non-DOE space.
— Jillian Jorgensen (@Jill_Jorgensen) July 8, 2020
Parents can opt-out of sending their kids to school in person if they so choose:
For families who do not feel comfortable with sending their children back to school, @DOEChancellor says all remote learning option will be available with the option to transition back into in person learning at a later point in the year.
— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) July 8, 2020
They’ll meet with parents in July to go over the plans:
School principals will hold parent meetings in July to discuss individual school plans. There will also be a citywide family and student information session – First one on Thurs. July 16th, @DOEChancellor says
— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) July 8, 2020
And there will be masks. Lots and lots of masks:
The goal is to have maximum face covering use, @NYCMayor says for some kids it will be hard if they have a condition, and schools will make accommodations, but mandatory face coverings for students will be part of the guidance and safety requirements that will be enforced.
— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) July 8, 2020
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