Middle Schools In NYC To Open In Person

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday that NYC Middle Schools (public school) will be allowed to reopen for in person learning after being closed for almost the entire year. Parents were allowed to choose between sending their children to school in person or keeping them home learning virtually. From the almost 200,000 students in middle school (public school) in NYC over 60,000 will learn in person starting February 25th.

During midwinter school vacation from Feb. 15 to Feb. 19 school workers will be prioritized for vaccines.

Elementary school students returned to school buildings on December 7th but middle schools and high schools remained closed to in-person instruction. At this point the Mayor hasn’t said when high schools may be able to reopen.

Masks, social distancing and testing are required at open buildings, and if 2 or more cases show up in 1 school (if the 2 cases aren’t caught from one another) the school can be shut down again.

De Blasio said many students have struggled with the isolation of remote learning, and he welcomed the chance to open more physical classrooms. “A lot of kids have not done well with the isolation and need a chance to be back in a school community,” the Mayor said. “We’re convinced we can do it safely.”