NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza tells WCBS 880 the closing of New York City public schools is a sobering moment and that remote learning will help bridge the gap.
On Sunday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced public schools will close Monday until at least mid-April and perhaps for the remainder of the school year, sending the city's more than 1.1 million children home in hopes of curbing the spread of coronavirus.
The mayor said it is a decision he has taken with no joy, but said it was necessary because "we are dealing with a challenge and a crisis that we have never seen in our lifetimes and has only just begun."
In an interview with WCBS 880 Monday morning, Carranza said the city and Department of Education have been planning multiple scenarios since January.
"It got to a point where as the mayor has been saying this is going to be worse before it gets better," Carranza said."It got to the point where for the betterment of our students, our staff and the greater New York City community we want to limit social interaction and that's why we're at this spot."
Starting next Monday, city schools will be transitioning to a remote learning model.
"We're going to use technology, we're gonna use laptops and devices, we're going to use the internet, we're going to have virtual learning," Carranza said.
Over the next three days, teachers and principals will return to schools to orient themselves with how to use the technology, introduce them to the curriculum and the modality with which teachers will be able to stay in touch with students.
The city will be bringing in devices to assign students, prioritizing those in temporary housing.
"Although this is a crisis, we don't give up and we have a lot of educators that still want to serve their children," Carranza said. "It's going to look different in different schools, it's going to look different than what students and parents are used to but the whole goal here is that for however long we're out of face to face contact in the schools, we want students to have access to high quality curriculum, we want teachers to be able to engage with their students and as much as possible we want students to remain academically engaged."
As for children who depend on the schools for breakfast and lunch, Carranza said students can go to their school to pick up grab-and-go meals this week. Next week they will set up regionally centered distribution sites where students will be able to get food.
Carranza said regional education centers will be rolled out next week. They will be prioritized for children of first responders, health care workers and students who are medically fragile. The centers will have in-person support and educational opportunities.
"We don't any first responders not to be able to go to work because they don't have childcare," Carranza said.
There are now 329 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New York City and 5 fatalities.
Here's a quick look at the city's schools plan from the mayor's office:
Monday, March 16: Citywide closure. Students, teachers, and principals do not report.
Tuesday, March 17- Thursday, March 19: Teachers and principals participate in professional development on remote learning.
Thursday, March 19-Friday, March 20: Students who need it will be able to begin process of picking up the technology necessary for remote learning. Additional guidance for families will be sent this week.
Monday, March 23: Remote learning launches, with additional guidance provided throughout the week of the 23rd.
NYCDOE-specific instructional resources in English for students in grades Pre-K through 12 are currently available online at schools.nyc.gov/learnathome. More information about remote learning, meals, and other core services will be made available for families at schools.nyc.gov.
To help all students adjust to remote learning environments, Apple and T-Mobile will ensure that in the coming weeks, 300,000 New York City public school students who don’t currently have an internet-connected device will have one for their schoolwork, beginning with 25,000 iPads that will be distributed next week
To keep healthcare providers unaffected, the Mayor is calling upon New Yorkers to watch the children of their neighbors, friends, and members of the community who work in the healthcare sector.
