Mayor Eric Adams dropped his insistence that New York City public school students should continue in-person learning despite a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Now, the president is considering resuming remote education temporarily amid high rates of absenteeism.
Adams said he is willing to talk to the head of the United Federation of Teachers “if there is a way to implement a temporary option.” The mayor emphasized that he would still “continue to push” for students to attend face-to-face classes.
Adams cited student absenteeism as one of the reasons behind his change of heart: City schools had an attendance rate of 76% as of Wednesday, and said he must “be honest” that a “substantial” amount ” of parents keep their children out of school.
The announcement comes after some high school students walked out of classrooms Tuesday to lobby the city for a remote learning option and better COVID-19 mitigation measures at the school.
Some teachers also protested and filed lawsuits demanding better biosecurity measures. Even local legislators wrote a letter to the mayor to support remote education.
“We will find the right way to educate our children in a very safe environment, and if we can implement a temporary remote option, we can do it with the collaboration of my good friend [presidente de la UFT] Michael Mulgrew,” Adams told reporters Thursday.
The city reported 132,308 cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday night among New York public school students and staff this school year. The figure is up from 97,938 cases on Friday.
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