NYC Parents Get Another Chance To Opt For In-Person Schooling

NEW YORK, NY — Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday afternoon that a new opt-in period for public school students will start on Monday after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its guidelines to allow for the distance between children in public school classrooms to go from six feet to three feet.

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

Given the change, a new opt-in period for New York City public school students who are not currently attending in-classroom learning will start on Monday.

Additional details will be announced in the coming days, but the new opt-in period will start with a focus on students in 3K, preschool, elementary school, and students in elementary grades within the special education District 75 program.

There will also be options for middle school and high school students to opt back in for in-person learning, but again the details will be announced next week.

“If there was ever a time our kids needed the help, it’s now, and every single child can get back in the classrooms," de Blasio said. "That’s going to help them get past the pain of this pandemic and into the future.”

Monday will also be the first day of school for New York City's public high school students that have already chosen in-person learning.

It brings the last group of students to return to in-person teaching since a district-wide shutdown in November as COVID-19 cases spiked.

Read More: NYC High Schools Reopen Monday: Here's What You Need To Know