New York City public schools will not open for in-person classes as planned on Monday.
Mayor Bill De Blasio announced Thursday that classrooms will only open on September 21 for pre-k and special education students. The plan had been for all students to return next week.
The new scheme has elementary school students returning on September 29. Middle schools and high schools are now scheduled to open October 1.
De Blasio has been under immense pressure from unions and elected officials to delay the reopening of schools.
Most of the students in NYC public schools will only attend class two or three days a week. The other days they will complete assignments and watch online instructional videos that school officials describe as ‘remote learning.’ The city calls the combination a “blended program.”
Students whose parents do not want their children to return for in-school instruction are allowed to opt for all-remote learning.