Sept. 17 (UPI) -- The physical reopening of New York City schools, originally set for next week, will be delayed until as late as Oct. 1 due to continuing health safety concerns, Mayor Bill DeBlasio announced Thursday.
All city schools were set to reopen Monday, but after protests from teachers and parents worried about safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic, DeBlasio bowed to pressure and instituted a phased-in plan for different grade levels, "blended" with continued remote learning.
Under the new plan, only 3-K and pre-K early education sites will reopen on Monday. They will be followed on Sept. 29 by K-5 and K-8 schools, while middle schools and high schools will reopen on Oct. 1.
All New York City schools have been closed since March. Remote instruction for the current academic year began this week.
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De Blasio said during his daily coronavirus briefing the changes were made after marathon talks with school officials and teachers who asserted that not all school buildings were properly ventilated, had adequate technology or were sufficiently staffed.
"Real concerns have been raised by my colleagues," he said, adding that while progress has been made, "more had to be done to make sure that things would be as strong as they needed to be."
The reopening of the schools, he declared, "has to be fair and equal."
To answer concerns about short-staffing, De Blasio said 2,500 more teachers had been added just days after 2,000 new hires were announced. The new teachers, he said, will include substitutes, school district staffers and graduate students from the City University of New York system.
"Our buildings must be ready, and testing and tracing procedures must be in place," said United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew. "A phased re-opening -- and making sure, despite budget challenges, that we have enough staff -- can help ensure that safety."
