On Thursday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a decision to delay school reopenings again, now saying that instead of opening September 21st, as originally planned, elementary schools will reopen on September 29th, and middle and high schools will reopen on October 1st.
De Blasio spoke with the head of the principals and teachers union on Wednesday and that they told him that schools are not ready to reopen, saying “[T]hey had real concerns about specific things that had to be done to make sure our schools could effectively start,” according to the Washington Examiner.
He also said, referring to remote learning that began on Wednesday, “…[W]e are doing this to make sure that all the standards we’ve set can be achieved. We have to have social distancing throughout schools, cleaning constantly, face coverings on students and adults alike,” as reported by Fox News.
National Review reports that “[O]nly students in pre-K classes and students with advanced special needs will return to class on Monday. Elementary schools are scheduled to reopen September 29, and high schools on October 1.” NRO also said that this isn’t the first time de Blasio has postponed school reopening, which were originally supposed to start on September 10th.
The Examiner further reports that, “New York City, one of the first coronavirus epicenters in the U.S., has consistently maintained a positive test rate below 3% since the start of June, a threshold the World Health Organization said is safe enough to reopen schools.”
So why the delay?
It is curious that de Blasio has chosen to delay school opening with no clear reason. His decision is seemingly arbitrary and is further causing damage to children academically, socially, and emotionally.
Parents have also been horribly affected. They are now being forced, again, to stay home from work at a time when many are financially devastated from lockdowns imposed by politicians like de Blasio.
It is unfathomable that de Blasio is demonstrating no compassion for parents and children who need school to reopen immediately.
