Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good morning, everybody. We are going to focus today on one big topic, and it is the issue that New York City will focus on for the next few months, because it really is the single biggest part of restarting New York City and moving us forward. And it's so important to millions of New Yorkers, including 1.1 million public school kids. And, of course, I'm talking about the restart of New York City public schools. Look, this is the single biggest piece of the equation – 1.1 million kids, millions of parents and family members who want to see their kids educated the best way possible, and that means in-person learning. Of course, everyone – everyone is focused on health and safety first. We're going to talk about that today how the first focus will be on health and safety while maintaining a constant understanding that the best way to educate our kids is in the classroom. The fact that so many other parts of our restart will key off of the reopening of our schools. I've heard from community members, I've heard from people in the business, community, civic groups, clergy all over the city – the same message –everyone's looking to the public school system to indicate the bigger direction of New York City. So, we have an obligation first and foremost to our kids and our families, but also to the whole city to work hard now to be ready for September. And our parents have spoken clearly, the DOE did an extraordinary survey of parents – 400,000 responses, 75 percent of our parents said they want their kids back in the school buildings, getting the very best education. And we need to listen to the voices of our parents as we plan, as we prepare, as we think about what they are saying about the people they know best, their own children, but also what they're saying about their own lives. So many New Yorkers desperately need to get back to work. And for a lot of people, that means they have to get back to a workplace, and they need to know that their kids will be safe and secure, getting a chance to be educated much more deeply.
So, parents want this for their children and they want this so they can restore their livelihoods for their families. Parents are speaking loudly and clearly, but everyone understands, whatever we do has to be, first and foremost, seen through the prison of health and safety. So, everything we do will be with a very high bar related to health and safety. The Chancellor will talk more about that in a moment. We're going to move forward, according to the data, according to the science. We're going to work closely every step of the way with the State of New York to make the best decision for our children, for our families, for our city. We're going to watch to see what the data tells us. We're going to put every precaution in place, test to make sure it's working. And as we've said, many times, things can change along the way. And that's a hard thing for all of us to take in, but it's true. The health care situation in this city in March and April was one thing, it's been very different, thank God, in June into July so much better. We have to keep making it better and we have to keep aware of what's happening all around us in the country and make sure that the decisions we are made are based on objective fact. And that can change at any given time and we have to be able to move with those changes. But it depends on starting now, opening our schools, a little over two months away – a lot to be done. This morning. I had the honor of speaking to our principals and to educators who are doing so much work right now to get our school system ready for September, and I thank them for their extraordinary work. But I know this is the most challenging task that any principals, any educators have faced in the history of New York City public schools, trying to get ready for so many different eventualities and get it right from the beginning.
So, here's what we can tell you. One thing we know for sure, and the math just makes it clear, when you think about health first, you think about social distancing. When you think about social distancing, you need more space. You're going to have fewer kids in a classroom, fewer kids in the school building. So, you're not going to be able, with certain exceptions – most schools will not be able to have all their kids in school at the same time and schools that are historically overcrowded will really particularly struggle, because they're only going to be able to use so much space. Remember, six feet needed around each child. So, when we know that health and safety means social distancing, therefore we have to use a lot more space for fewer kids, it makes very clear, the approach we will use is blended learning. And blended learning simply means at some points in the week, you're learning in person in the classroom; at other points in a week, you're learning remotely. And we all know remote learning is not perfect, but we've also seen a lot of kids benefit greatly from it during these last months. And we know we'll be able to do it even better in the months ahead. Now, to make it really simple for every-day parents, and I was a public school parent in New York City public schools. I know parents want clear, straight forward information.
Here's the deal, for the vast majority of kids in the vast majority of schools, you'll be going to school to the classroom either two days a week or three days a week, depending on the week. Again, certain other schools will have exceptional dynamics, we can talk about that as well. But for the vast majority of kids, a typical week, two or three days in the classroom, in the school, the other days, remote learning. Of course, we understand some families will choose remote learning as the only option, the Chancellor will to speak to that, and they have every right to do that, and we'll be ready. But, basically, this blended model, this kind of split-schedule model is what we can do under current conditions. And then, let's hope and pray science helps us out with a vaccine, with a cure, treatment, the things that will allow us to go farther.
So, we know that our educators have had to adapt intensely in recent months. They've done an amazing job. We know they're up to this challenge as well, but let's go back to the point that I've talked about, the Chancellor's talked about before. It has to be the greatest school year in New York City history. And that's not just words, that's the truth, it has to be a year where really extraordinary things happen, where we help kids who are coming back from so much, where we work with different models and make them work together, where we recognize that we can find some good even the midst of crisis. Fewer kids in the classroom – well, in some ways, that could be something we take positive advantage of. Teachers will be able to spend more time with kids when they have fewer kids to reach. Online learning has been really fantastic for certain students and it's given all students more flexibility and it's a way to help kids learn at their own pace and different times of day, not just during the hours of the school day. So, there's a lot we can do with online learning that we couldn't do before. We have to look at this as a challenge, but one that we can also find good in and possibility in. And we're going to ask everyone to reach and really reach deep to serve our kids. And now, to tell you about more about what this look like, our Chancellor Richard Carranza.
Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So, last week we announced a series of health and safety measures that we will be implementing this fall. For example, requiring face mass for students and staff, increasing access to hand washing and sanitizers, and continuing to maintain physical distancing. As a quick reminder, schools will be supplied with additional cleaning supplies, including hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes and PPE. DOE central will provide all of this. It will not come out of individual school budgets. Our buildings will be deep cleaned on a nightly basis with electrostatic disinfectant sprayers. And HVAC systems are being upgraded as we speak to ensure better ventilation in all of our schools. We will also provide staff with the training that they need to keep themselves and our students safe. We also will be implementing social distancing requirements, and these include fewer students in each classroom, the use of large spaces for classes, for example, cafeterias, auditoriums gymnasiums – in some cases, enclosed outdoor spaces – updated entry and exit and hallway layouts to reduce contact. We are working our School Construction Authority, our community partners to identify non-DOE space that could possibly be used as well.
So, let me talk a little bit more detail about our split-schedule models that we rolled out with our principals this morning. And I have to thank, and I want to thank all of our principals and teachers and support staff, including our paraprofessionals, but including as well our student nutrition workers, our school safety agents, our custodians who all had a voice in developing these plans. We know that we cannot maintain proper physical distancing and have 100 percent of our students in school buildings five days a week. It's just geographically, physically not possible. Health and safety requires us to have fewer students in the building at the same time. So, for the 2020-21 school year, it will look different. Let me be clear, New York City students will be learning five days a week, whether it's in person or at home. Here's what will be different – students will return in September in either a blended learning model or a fully remote learning model if they so choose. Blended learning means students will be taught on-site in school for part of the week and will attend school remotely on the other days of the week. Over the past several months, we've worked with many stakeholders, including our principals and we've surveyed families and students, as Mayor de Blasio, has mentioned to develop scheduling models that can accommodate limited in-person attendance and enhanced health and safety measures. This morning, we shared these scheduling models with principals who will choose among them as they plan for the fall, taking into account the unique needs of their school communities. Most schools will choose from among three of these models and we'll make an additional two models available for schools in District 75. We will work with schools to maximize the amount of in-person instruction, but for the sake of clarity, I'd like to walk through two examples this morning.
Model one, which you see on the screen, is a two-cohort model. And by cohort, I mean two groups of students. This model assumes that a school has the capacity for at least 50 percent of their students to be in the building at any given time. Students will be in two or three days a week rotations. So, for example, one cohort comes to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and another cohort comes on Wednesdays and Fridays. Then the cohorts alternate on Mondays. Again, this is meant to give parents some semblance of predictability for planning purposes. This model – model two is a three-cohort model. This model assumes that a school has a capacity for at least 33 percent of its students to be in the building at any given time. For each group, there will be one consistent day of the week the student will be in-person, with Monday and Tuesday rotating among groups over a three-week cycle. That way you'll see most weeks students are in person two days, though every few weeks it will be one day only. Now, I know this sounds like a lot to take in, and it is. Let me tell you, it's been the same for all of us as we've grappled with these tough choices, but I'll say this as a reminder, we developed this guidance with principals and principals at the table and shared it with all of them today. Now, they will work to adapt these models to school communities, and they will provide clear specific schedules for each student in August so parents will know which days their child is expected in-person.
This is very new and different and I know it's no one's first choice, but we need to do it to maintain the health and safety of our school communities. And I know that we'll make this into our new approach of learning over time and we will be there to support you. We also know that there are families who did not feel comfortable going back to school buildings in the fall. We heard you loud and clear. These families can choose all remote learning for their child and will be specific periods in the school year during which remote-only families may elect to transition back to in-person learning.
Now, our next slide – equitable education is now more important than ever. The COVID-19 crisis has not disrupted our vision of Equity and Excellence. We are laser focused on developing and delivering a high-quality education for every student this fall. Our approach remains the same. We set a high bar for every student, no matter who they are, and that's excellence. And we give every student the support they need to meet that bar, that's equity. And we will look – it will look different for every child, especially in a time of crisis. We recognize and honor the significant trauma that our students, staff, and city have experienced over the past several months. We will return to “normal.” It is important to make space for these experiences in the new normal and recognize that our new normal is not what any of us have been used to. Teachers, staff, students must all have time and the support they need to reacclimate to school and adapt to these necessary changes. Social, emotional learning and trauma-informed care will be integrated into school programming throughout the school year and all schools will prioritize mental health supports. In-person services will be offered to students with IEP’s who opt to receive them to the greatest extent possible. And multilingual learners will receive an instructional program that ensures continued progress in language development and the areas of knowledge.
Now, I know this is a lot, and there will be additional guidance coming out to families to process this information and plan for the year ahead. As the Mayor has stated, we have to be ready for anything, and that means the guidance could change from the State, from health experts. We will need to adapt. And our commitment to you is that we will keep you informed every step of the way. Today, we will launch the return to school 2020 webpage, which we will update on a regular basis with the latest information, including dates, timelines, and all the latest information you need as we returned to school to September. Excuse me. Throughout the summer, we will continue to engage with families, students, and community leaders, both centrally through the DOE and within each school community. We will host a series of family and student information sessions to answer any questions or concerns that families may have. The first of these sessions will be held July 16th. Principals will also hold parent meetings in July to discuss their individual school schedules and needs. We will continue – next slide, please – we will continue to update our plans over the course of the summer. And here are a few key dates that are coming up that I will highlight, especially for parents and families – July 15th, the parent portal opens for families to sign up for fully remote instruction. July 16th will be the first virtual family information center. And August 7th is a deadline for families to choose fully remote instruction.
Remember, families will be allowed to transition back into in-person instruction on a quarterly basis. Families can opt for fully remote at any time. As we have said before, the 2020 school year will be like no other that we've experienced, but I know that together we will make it work for the 1.1 million students that are counting on us. Our city has been to hell and back. We do not want to return to that. So, we are going to make sure that our schools are safe for our families, for our students, and for our staff. And we are counting on all of you to work with us as we accomplish that goal of getting our students back in school. Mr. Mayor, thank you for this opportunity. And I'm passing it back to you.
Mayor: Now, everyone let's just go over the indicators for the day. First, the daily number of people admitted to hospitals for suspected COVID-19, that threshold is 200. Today's report, 65 patients. Number two, daily number of people in Health + Hospitals ICUs, threshold of 375. Today's report, 299 patients. And the most important one, percentage of people tested citywide positive for COVID-19, threshold of 15 percent. Today's report, one percent. Again, that is the lowest we have ever been at. So, we see in these indicators hope and the hard work that all of you have done paying off, but this is the kind of data we're going to be watching every day as we make smart decisions about the future of our city and the future of our schools.
