BY ROBBIE SEQUEIRA
NYC Department of Education
and Bronx school administrators
expressed optimism
for the upcoming school year,
despite rising COVID-19 cases
and skepticism from some parents
on their child’s safety w hen
they return for in-person learning
on Sept. 13.
During a Back to School virtual
forum on Thursday, Sept.
2, NYC Schools Chancellor Miesha
Ross Porter championed
the return to in-person learning
as a “significant part” of New
York City’s recovery against COVID
19, which has seen some
roadblocks due to the emerging
Delta variant.
According to the NYC Department
of Health and Mental
Hygiene, children ages 5-17 have
the highest rates of COVID infection
in the city right now.
The city Department of Education
(DOE) will set up vaccination
sites within school buildings
serving vaccine-eligible
students, or kids between the
ages of 12 and 17, which will administer
fi rst doses of the Pfi zer-
BioNTech vaccine during the
fi rst week of classes which begins
on Sept. 13.
The DOE’s protocol for minimizing
the spread of COVID-19
and preventing mass cancellations
through the year includes a
universal masking policy for people
inside a school facility, daily
health screenings, and compliance
for all DOE staff and schoolteachers
to be vaccinated by Sept.
27.
Roughly 60% of DOE staff is
fully vaccinated, according to city
officials.
“Vaccines are our passport
out of this pandemic, period,” said
Ross Porter. “And they will work
hand-in-hand with other safety
measures … I won’t pretend this
year’s back-to-school event is normal.”
The city’s reopening guide
says that 10% of unvaccinated
students will be tested every
two weeks, a change from last
spring’s guideline that saw 20%
of students tested weekly.
According to Daniel Stephens,
BRONX TIMES R 20 EPORTER, SEPT. 9-16, 2021 BTR
deputy commissioner for
Family and Child Health at the
city Health Department, 62% or
roughly 320,000 of NYC’s 12-17
population are fully vaccinated,
which is 10% above the national
average.
All students and staff must also
complete a health screening form
before entering school each day,
confirming that they do not currently
have COVID-19 symptoms,
have not recently tested positive for
COVID-19, and are not currently
required to quarantine based on
close contact with an infected person.
All students and staff feeling ill
must stay home and get tested for
COVID-19.
One parent, Albelchi Felix,
whose daughter attends PS 209
on East 183rd Street, was skeptical
of the social distancing in the
school’s small classrooms.
“We’ve been told this evening
about health and safety but I’m
very skeptical because I know my
child’s classrooms are small, so
I’m really curious how this social
distancing will be effective?” Felix
Students are socially distanced in October 2020 at a public school in the
Bronx. Photo Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Offi ce
said. “Especially when they are
so small and really young at 4 or 5
years old.”
Administrators pointed to
policies such as designated mask
breaks, which allow students to remove
face masks during lunchtime
so students can eat comfortably at a
safe distance from one another.
Additionally, NYC schools will
also adhere to CDC guidelines regarding
physical spacing.
DOE lays out in-person
learning guidelines
KATHY HOCHUL RUTHANNE VISNAUSKAS
Homecoming NYC
Our Classrooms
Our Community
Our Future
Safe and healthy learning for all.
schools.nyc.gov/Homecoming
Back to
SCHOOL
2021
/Homecoming