New York City officials will offer public school parents another chance to enroll their kids in in-person classes if federal health officials adjust their recommendations for distancing requirements in schools, Mayor de Blasio said Thursday.
Current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises schools to maintain 6 feet of distance in buildings whenever possible, but the agency is weighing a shift to a recommendation of 3 feet apart.
That would open the door for city officials to increase the number of people allowed in school buildings at any given time — and prompt officials to give families currently enrolled in all-remote classes another chance to sign up for in-person schooling.
“If there is a change from 6 feet to 3 feet, for example, that will absolutely be the reason for an opt-in, because we would want to give more kids a chance to get back into school quickly,” de Blasio said at a press conference.
“We’re starting the planning now to be ready for the possibility the CDC will change the standard,” he added.
Schools are currently operating at reduced capacity, and set their enrollment caps based on how many people can fit in classrooms while staying 6 feet apart. In schools with large numbers of families signed up for in-person classes, that can mean bringing students to the building in shifts.
A reduction in the distancing requirements would allow more people in school buildings, and likely expand the number of kids who could come in five days a week.
Roughly 70% of city families are still enrolled in all-remote classes and haven’t had a chance to opt back into in-person learning since last November.
De Blasio warned the city will need time to prepare for the logistical challenges of changing school capacity limits and planning for new students.
“There’s three-and-a-half months left in the school year,” he said. “That’s a lot, but there’s also lead time that would be involved in something like this.”
