NYC’s High Schools Will Reopen March 22, De Blasio Says

NEW YORK CITY — New York City’s in-person public high school students have another “first day” ahead of them.

“High schools will reopen on Monday, March 22 in New York City,” Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday.

De Blasio’s announcement brings back the last group of in-person students since a district-wide closure in the fall amid spiking coronavirus cases.

Pre-K, 3-K, elementary, middle school and special needs students who opted into in-person learning have since returned to classrooms.

The return to high schools also will bring back a large part of student life: sports. All citywide sports in the Public School Athletic League will restart in mid-April, de Blasio said.

“All sports but with strict safety protocols,” he said.

The sports seasons will extend into the summer to August to student athletes a chance to make up what they lost, de Blasio said.

Newly-appointed schools Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter said high schools are expected to offer five-day-a-week in-person learning to most or all students who’ve signed up for classroom learning.

Porter emphasized that the city will continue its strict COVID-19 testing protocols for students, cleaning and ventilation standards for classrooms and other safety measures. She also hailed the return of athletics and what it’ll mean for student life.

“We can expect to see students more engaged and excelling in academics,” she said.

De Blasio said school officials are looking into giving remote-only students and parents another chance to return to in-person learning.

“We may have the opportunity before the school year is over of doing another opt-in,” he said.