NEW YORK – With New York City’s school year set to start over, some school-age children will be returning to classrooms for the first time since March 2020. For reference, that means a child entering going to high school this year he may not have been inside a classroom since mid-seventh grade.
And as the vast majority of children prepare to return (some will be able to continue remote learning if given special permission, the mayor recently said), the city is sharing its policies regarding COVID safety in the schools.
Since remote learning is not yet an option for other students, despite requests and calls from parents and teachers, Mayor Bill de Blasio again underscored the importance of students returning to in-person learning and touted how the school district largest in the US. Last year he was able to keep coronavirus cases at 0.03% positive, or as he called it, “almost non-existent.”
“It was literally one of the safest places to be in New York City,” De Blasio said at his daily press conference. “We intend to do it again, with an extraordinary set of health and safety measures, but with a tool that we did not have for most of last year, large-scale vaccination and vaccination.”
The teachers union (United Federation of Teachers) issued a statement on school protocols, encouraging decisions on masking, ventilation, social distancing and testing. The UFT was also pleased that “the mayor has finally recognized the need for virtual instruction for medically fragile children and those in quarantine.” The union said details on remote instruction were still being worked out.
These are some of the protocols that New York City schools will follow, and some of the guidelines (such as the quarantine and building closure guidelines) have changed since last year, and all the information is also available here at the city website.
All New York City Department of Education employees, including school personnel, must be vaccinated and must show proof of having received at least one dose by September 27. While there is no COVID vaccination requirement for children, the city encourages all eligible students ages 12 and older to get vaccinated.
There is an online portal that students and families can use to enter their immunization status. Proof of vaccination includes a picture of a vaccination card, NYS Excelsior Pass, or other government record.
THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
Immunizations and medical tests
All New York City Department of Education employees, including school personnel, must be vaccinated and must show proof of having received at least one dose by September 27. While there is no COVID vaccination requirement for children, the city encourages all eligible students ages 12 and older to get vaccinated.
There is an online portal that students and families can use to enter their immunization status. Proof of vaccination includes a picture of a vaccination card, NYS Excelsior Pass, or other government record.
All students and staff are also required to complete a health assessment form prior to entering school each day, confirming that they currently have no symptoms of COVID-19, that they have not recently tested positive for COVID-19, and that they currently do not they are bound to quarantine themselves by close contact. with an infected person. All students and staff who feel ill should stay home and get tested for COVID-19.
Face covers and PPEE
All students and staff riding on school buses and anywhere on school grounds, both indoors and outdoors, are required to cover their faces, regardless of vaccination status, unless otherwise specified. provide a medical exemption.
Masks can be removed at lunchtime so students can comfortably eat at a safe distance from each other, or during designated “mask breaks”.
Social distancing
New York City schools are following the CDC guidelines regarding physical space, which “recommends that schools maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms to reduce the risk of transmission.”
When and if possible, elementary schools will constantly keep groups of students together or have teachers move between classes to minimize the amount of student movement throughout the school.
COVID-19 test
Ten percent of the unvaccinated individuals at each school who have submitted their consent for testing will be evaluated every two weeks. Students and staff who are fully immunized do not have any testing requirements.
In order for students to participate in the testing program at school, parents must consent to the children. The consent form can be downloaded here, or parents can complete it in their NYC Schools (NYCSA) account.
Positive Cases of COVID-19 in Schools: Closures and Quarantines
This is the only part that gets quite different from last year. There are different quarantine protocols depending on the degree to which a positive case is found and according to the vaccination status of the students.
If there is a positive case with a student in an elementary school classroom, all students in the class will be instructed to self-quarantine for 10 calendar days and perform remote learning during that time period.
It gets more complicated in middle school and high school classrooms. If there is a positive case in a classroom, the students who are:
- At least 12 years old, vaccinated and not symptomatic: They can continue to attend school in person, but it is recommended that they get tested for COVID-19 3 to 5 days after exposure, as a precaution.
- At least 12 years old, vaccinated and symptomatic: They will be quarantined for 10 calendar days, and will have access to remote learning for that time.
- Not vaccinated: You will be quarantined for 10 calendar days and have access to remote learning. On day 5 of the quarantine, students can take a COVID-19 test and can return to learning in person after day 7 with a negative result.
Schools will only be closed when the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) determines that there is widespread transmission in the school. Such closures are likely to be rare.
Remote learning options
The City Health Department determined that students who meet one of the following conditions may be approved for medically necessary remote instruction:
| Active cancer | Adrenal disorder | Ataxia cerebral | Chronic kidney disease |
| Congenital heart disease | Congenital lung disease | Cystic fibrosis | Crohn’s disease / viral gastroenteritis |
| Heart conditions | Leukemia | Liver disease | Lymphoma |
| Metabolic disorders | Multiple sclerosis | Muscular dystrophy | Seizures |
| Drepanocito | Leak | Thalassemia | Tumor |
Any family with a student who is immunosuppressed due to a medical condition or treatment for a medical condition may request medically necessary instruction. Applications from families with a condition not listed will be reviewed to determine eligibility.
Other guidelines: ventilation, cleaning, outdoor learning
All rooms used by students and staff for extended periods are fully ventilated through natural, mechanical, or a combination of means. Every classroom in New York City has two HEPA purifiers, and cafeterias in larger schools have large HEPA units for added protection and window extractors to provide additional air circulation.
All classrooms and common areas (auditoriums, gymnasiums, etc.) have hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes available. High-touch areas (doorknobs, water fountains, etc.) are cleaned multiple times throughout the day, and each classroom is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized every day using electrostatic technology.
In terms of outdoor learning, New York City schools will continue to use schoolyards, street space, and parks as additional space for learning, and schools in the areas most affected by COVID- 19 will have priority for the program.
For more information on going back to school, check out our guide below:
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