New NYC Schools Opt-In Period Starts Wednesday, Mayor Says

NEW YORK, NY — The new opt-in period for families who wish to send their kids back for in-person learning this spring will begin on Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday.

Students of all ages who have opted to stay home thus far can sign up to return to classrooms during the period, which will run between March 24 and April 7, de Blasio said.

Elementary, pre-K, 3-K and District 75 students can then come back to school sometime in April, while a return date has not yet been set for newly opted-in middle and high school students.

De Blasio first announced the new opt-in period on Friday after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its guidelines for in-school social distancing. Elementary school students could remain just three feet apart in classrooms, rather than six, the CDC said.

"This obviously opens up a world of possibilities for bringing kids back," de Blasio said last week.

Meanwhile, Monday marked the first day of in-person learning for high school students who had chosen to return during a previous opt-in period. Across the five boroughs, 488 high schools reopened classrooms on Monday for the first time since they closed in November amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.