Updates for Families

September 18th, 2020

Dear Families, 

I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. I am writing to you today with an important update on the start of school. 

As you know, for months we have been preparing to reopen our school buildings. Thanks to all of you and everything you have done over the last six months, the city’s low infection rate makes us the only major city in the country able to welcome our children back to our schools for in-person learning. 

Just as you have done everything necessary to reduce the COVID-19 infection rate, we have made a pledge to you that we would put health and safety first. That is what we have done – inspecting tens of thousands of classrooms for proper ventilation; distributing millions of masks, bottles of hand sanitizers and cases of cleaning supplies; prioritizing students and staff for expedited COVID-19 testing; developing a swift testing, quarantine, and tracing protocol anytime we might see COVID-19 activity in our schools; and more. 

We must continue living up to that pledge as we get closer to opening our buildings, knowing that this year demands more supplies, more staff, more space, more inspections, and more training. To do that, we have some new updates on the school calendar to announce. 

All students will still begin full-time instruction on Monday, September 21. School buildings will reopen to our students in blended learning (in-person in schools some days of the week, and remotely from home other days of the week) on a phased basis, detailed below. Here is the updated calendar for the start of the 2020-21 school year: 

 Children enrolled in fully remote programs will still begin full-day instruction on Monday, September 21. 

 Children in blended learning (in-person in schools some days of the week, and remotely from home other days of the week) will be learning remotely beginning Monday, September 21 until their in-person start date as outlined below. Please reach out to your child’s school if you have questions about when your child should report according to their blended learning schedule. 

School Reopening 2020-2021

Dear Families, 

I hope you and your children are well and enjoying some time off this summer. September will be here before we know it, and I am writing to you today to keep you updated on the 2020–21 school year and make sure you know how to be part of the conversation. Throughout this summer, as we diligently work to clarify operations for the fall, I promise to be transparent about what we know—and what we don’t yet know. 

Your Learning Options 

First things first: New York City students will be learning five days a week, whether in person or at home. As previously announced, schools are planning for blended learning, in which students will be taught in school buildings for part of the week, and will continue learning remotely from home on the other days of the week. Any family can also choose all-remote learning, for any reason. We know that the majority of families want as much in-person instruction as is safely possible, and we will work to maximize it at every turn, consistent with health and safety requirements. However, if you intend to choose all-remote learning for your child and have not yet notified us, please let us know by August 7 so schools can plan accordingly. You can fill out a web form at schools.nyc.gov/returntoschool2020 or call 311. 

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To enable you to make a more informed choice, we have prepared some important comparisons about what you can expect from each mode of learning, which you can find at the end of this letter. Families who choose all-remote instruction will be able to opt back in to blended learning on a quarterly basis throughout the school year, beginning in November. No matter whether you are at school in-person or you are learning remotely, you and your child are still enrolled in and part of your school community. Your child’s schedule and learning experience will be fully managed by your school. The vast majority of students who participate in fully remote learning will be taught by teachers from their school. While there may be some limited exceptions on a school-by-school basis, you should expect your child to be assigned teachers from their school when they receive their full schedule before the school year begins. 

As our plans continue to come together, we must be nimble. We will make adjustments as public health conditions continue to evolve. 

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How to Learn More 

Every week, we will be posting more information about school operations to schools.nyc.gov/returntoschool2020. Please bookmark this page and visit it frequently. On this page, you will find information on Physical Education, Arts Education, and more. We are asking for your patience and flexibility throughout this process as we work through a great deal of planning in collaboration with our teachers, principals, and school-based staff. 

Your voice and feedback are essential as our work continues. We are creating many opportunities for you to discuss the year ahead with the DOE, and we hope you will get involved. We hosted our first citywide information session on July 16, and received many great suggestions from families across the City. Please join us for one of the upcoming info sessions Tuesday, July 28; Wednesday, August 12; and Thursday... 

SURVEY

Free Childcare for Blended Learning Model

As the New York City Department of Education resumes in-person schooling this fall, most schools and early childhood programs will operate on a blended learning model. This means that each week, students will have some school days in person, and some school days remotely.  Learning Bridges is a new program that will provide free child care options for children from 3-K through 8th grade on days when they are scheduled for remote learning.

If you are interested in the Learning Bridges program, please complete this survey. 

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The Learning Bridges programs will: 

• Be operated by community-based organizations and other partners 

• Provide opportunities for children to connect to their remote learning activities 

• Include time for art, recreation, and other age-appropriate activities 

• Follow the same rigorous health and safety precautions as schools 

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You can complete the survey even if you do not yet know your child’s school schedule. The survey is meant to assess interest; this is not a formal application. More information will be shared by the Department of Education (children in 3-K and pre-K) or the Department of  Youth & Community Development (children in grades K-8) about a potential placement in the coming weeks. Programs will become available on a rolling basis beginning at the start of school. 

Updates for Families on Instruction 

 August 6, 2020 

Dear Families, 

The educators and staff at your child’s school, and all of us at the DOE, continue to work around the clock to prepare for a safe and healthy return to school in September. An important part of our planning depends on you! Today I am writing with additional information and an important reminder as we head into September. 

All schools are currently preparing for a blended learning model. Blended learning means that students learn part of the time in-person in school buildings, and continue their learning remotely, from home, on the remaining weekdays. Any family can also choose all-remote learning this fall, for any reason. If all-remote learning is your preference, we ask to hear from you by filling out a short web form at schools.nyc.gov/returntoschool2020, or by calling 311, by this Friday, August 7.

If you begin in blended learning, you can decide later to transition to all-remote, but to best support schools in their planning for reopening, we ask that those who have a preference for 100% remote notify us by this Friday, August 7. 

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As you consider which learning model is best for your child, I want to restate our guiding principles that apply to every student’s education: All students will be learning five days a week, and teachers will continue to deliver high-quality instruction that is culturally responsive, rigorous and developmentally appropriate for all students, in all learning settings. 

We are sharing additional information below about both blended and all-remote instruction to empower you to make this choice. This builds on the information contained in the letter sent to families in late July comparing remote and blended learning, which you can find at schools.nyc.gov/messagesforfamilies. 

Types of Teaching and Learning 

Whether your child is participating in blended learning or learning 100 percent remotely, they will receive instruction by

1) interacting live with their teachers and

2) by independently completing assignments and projects throughout the school day and week. 

Teachers 

Students engaged in remote learning will, for the most part, be taught by teachers from their school community. While there may be limited exceptions on a school-by-school basis, parents can expect their children to be assigned teachers from their school community when they receive their children’s full schedules before the school year begins. 

Live Interaction 

Teachers will provide daily live instruction for our fully remote learners, as well as for those students participating in the blended learning model. Teachers will deliver live instruction in short intervals (15–

20 consecutive minutes) throughout the school day for our youngest learners and may increase in length based on the student’s developmental stage and grade level. We will share additional information on live instruction in the coming weeks.