NYC delays majority of in-person schooling

Most public school students in the Big Apple will have to wait a little longer to return to their classrooms. Following pressure from teachers’ unions, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday announced most schools would not open on Monday for in-person classes as planned. Pre-K students and some students with special needs will start on time, but elementary and middle schoolers won’t return until Sept. 29, and high schoolers will begin Oct. 1 at the earliest.

Why the delay? Teachers union leaders said classroom conditions remain unsafe during the coronavirus pandemic. Many students haven’t attended the virtual classes schools have offered, and parents expressed frustration over the wait. “If we are going to do this, we must make sure that we get this right,” United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew said.

Dig deeper: Read Laura Edghill’s report in Schooled on the rise of homeschooling during the pandemic.