NYC schools to give students weekly at-home COVID tests as cases rise
From Chalkbeat: New York City schools are now providing four at-home COVID testing kits to all students each week and asking families to use them on a regular basis, according to an education department letter sent to families on Wednesday. The new policy comes as students have returned from spring break, and “cases are on […]
New York City plans to drop its mask mandate for its youngest students on April 4, Mayor Eric Adams announced Tuesday, as long as COVID cases remain low.
With children under the age of 5 the only age group still required to mask in school, many of their parents have relentlessly pressed Adams on the issue as he has traveled around the city in recent days. “We want to see our babies’ faces,” Adams said at a press conference at City Hall insisting […]
Pre-K for all? NYC’s universal preschool push leaves behind students with disabilities, report finds
The crowning achievement of former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration is uncontested: universal pre-K. The program guarantees free pre-K for 4-year-olds and has grown to include 3-year-olds in a dozen districts with plans to expand citywide. But the city’s preschool programming has poorly served many students with disabilities, according to an analysis of 2019-2020 city […]
NYC parents: Was your child exposed to COVID? Here’s what to do next
Once again, New York City parents are facing questions about when to keep their children home from school or get them tested for COVID as they learn of possible exposures. Though the omicron variant appears to be slightly loosening its grip, nearly 2,200 students and school staffers reported positive coronavirus cases last weekend, according to […]
Hochul proposes $2.1 billion increase for NY schools, extension of NYC mayoral control
Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed a $2.1 billion increase for the state’s public schools and called for a four-year extension of New York City’s mayoral control of schools in her first budget address Tuesday. Hochul’s proposal builds on her State of the State address earlier this month, which outlined plans to recruit and retain more teachers, […]
NY cancels January Regents exams as COVID cases surge
New York students won’t take Regents exams this January. New York education Commissioner Betty Rosa canceled the winter tests on Tuesday, citing a “daunting” spike in coronavirus cases across the state. No decisions have been made yet regarding the June and August exams, which far more students take. Officials previously said they planned to move […]
Amid omicron surge, NYC schools prepare to reopen after winter break
New York City teachers and students prepared to return from winter break Monday to schools with ramped up testing and other measures designed to contain the spread of the surging omicron variant. The reopening of the country’s largest school district was greeted with apprehension among some parents and teachers unnerved by a surge in cases […]
NYC schools to allow on-site COVID tests for teachers once again
With children ages 5 to 11 getting vaccinated, New York City schools may soon see a drop in the number of students participating in their on-site weekly COVID testing program since the program is only supposed to test unvaccinated students. But the swabs might not go unused. The city’s education department plans to change its […]
