Story at a glance
- New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he was considering offering a remote option to students this year amid high absenteeism.
- Nearly a quarter of New York City public school students have not been attending classes regularly, according to the city’s Department of Education.
- The city’s teachers union, the United Federation of Teachers, has previously called for a remote option to be offered again as omicron surges.
New York City officials are considering offering a remote option for public school students this year amid the ongoing omicron surge of the coronavirus pandemic.
“My goal is to create an option that will take us at the very least to the end of the school year,” said New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks during a Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Council meeting on Thursday, according to Chalkbeat. “If I could figure out a way to do a remote option starting tomorrow I would.”
New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) said during a press conference Thursday that he was considering implementing a remote option for students. Adams added that he still believes New York City public schools are the safest place for children to attend classes but that “we do have to be honest there’s a substantial number of children for whatever reason, parents are not bringing them to school.”
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New York City public school attendance is down amid the surge. On Wednesday, the New York City Department of Education announced a city-wide attendance rate of 76 percent, meaning that roughly 220,000 students were absent from classes.
Michael Mulgrew, the president of the city’s teacher union, the United Federation of Teachers, has previously asked Adams to offer a remote option for public school students as COVID-19 cases began to sharply rise last month.
During the press conference, Adams noted that he was working closely with the union on how to best move forward with a possible remote option.
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