Photo Courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza tour the Village Academy in Far Rockaway.
By Forum Staff
Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza on Thursday announced the City’s Back to School Pledge which outlines the administration’s safety and health commitments to students, parents, and the school community prior to the start of the academic year.
“With our record-low infection rate, New York City is the safest major city in America,” de Blasio said. “Our plan to reopen our schools is the most rigorous in the country, and I want parents to know that we are taking absolutely every precaution to keep their children healthy and safe.”
The pledge:
Health and safety always come first:
- PPE and cleaning supplies will be supplied to all schools, and DOE will have a 30-day supply on hand at all times—with a hotline for principals to call for immediate resupply for their schools
- There will be a full-time nurse in every public school building
- Any school building or room found to have inadequate ventilation will not be used by students or staff
- Students and staff will practice physical distancing in all school buildings
- Students and staff will wear face coverings throughout the school day; if they do not have them, they will be provided for free
- Students will remain in pods for as much of the day as possible
- We will place hand sanitizer in every classroom
- City-run testing sites will prioritize free COVID testing and expedited results for school staff; free testing is also available to all students, families, and New Yorkers citywide
- We are encouraging all DOE employees to be tested monthly
- NYC Department of Health and Test + Trace Corps will immediately investigate confirmed cases to prevent spread of the virus
- Schools will communicate with all students and families when there are confirmed cases in schools
- When necessary, classrooms or school buildings will temporarily close to maintain safety of school communities and prevent spread of the virus
- School buildings will close if the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests in New York City is 3 percent or more using a seven-day average—the most aggressive threshold in the nation
NYC Public Schools will be cleaned and disinfected, day and night:
- All school buildings will be disinfected overnight, every night
- High-touch zones will be cleaned multiple times throughout each day
- Electrostatic disinfectors will clean surfaces daily with zero physical contact
Students will be learning five days a week, no matter what:
- Whether in-person or online, students will study in supportive environments with rigorous academic standards
- Remote students will interact with their teachers every day
- Student schedules—both remote and in-person—will be preset and consistent to allow families to plan
- Academic instruction will integrate social-emotional learning and trauma-informed care to support students holistically
- Teachers will have time each day to engage one-on-one with students and families
“We’re a few weeks away from the first day of school, and PPE deliveries are happening every day, families are getting their schedules, and schools are organizing their classrooms,” Carranza added. “Parents deserve to know our commitment to them, and that means health, safety, and a high-quality education, no matter what.”
