Time Out New York Kids will continue to monitor the news and update readers as we learn more.
After much debate, it's been revealed that NYC schools will close.
On Sunday, Mar 15, Gov Andrew Cuomo tweeted that NYC must have a plan in place to ensure that children who rely on schools to receive meals will be accommodated amid closures. He also indicated that schools will close "early this week." You can read his tweet below:
NYC must have a plan in place in the next 24 hours for childcare for essential workers and a plan to make sure kids will continue to get the meals they need.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 15, 2020
NYC schools will close early this week.
This action is necessary to reduce density and mitigate the spread of #COVID19.
At Mar 15 around 5:30pm, Mayor Bill de Blasio conducted a discussion at City Hall about the plan that is underway. According to a video on Twitter posted to @NYCMayor, NYC schools will close tomorrow, Mar 16 and online learning will begin on Monday, Mar 23. This will likely take place until Apr 20, and at max, the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. The mayor stated that this type of plan has "never been attempted on this level, to say the least."
Schools will be open for one function, according to the Mayor: to get grab-and-go meals (breakfast and lunch). This will be available for students at all schools until further notice. He insisted that children should take their food back home and not eat in the school. He also stated that he will be working to get the proper to technology to those students who need.
According to Chancellor Richard A. Carranza, who spoke around 5:50pm at City Hall on Mar 15, principals will be in schools from Tuesday to Thursday—while practicing social distancing—for training and getting the remote learning plan in place. School enrichment centers will open on Mar 23, which you can learn more about on the DOE website.
Follow along with the tweet below.
Join me at City Hall for an important update on our city's response to COVID-19. https://t.co/TOVCtB9naf
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 15, 2020
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