De Blasio: All NYC schools will be 100% in-person in September, masks still required

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New York City’s massive public school system will be in-person only when students return in September for the next academic year, bringing an end to remote learning, Mayor Bill De Blasio announced Monday, although students will still be expected to wear masks.

The development comes as more than 60% of the Big Apple’s nearly 1 million public school students remain out of classrooms as they are learning from home full-time, according to Chalkbeat New York. The current school year in New York City is set to end June 25.  

"Every single child will be back in the classroom. I have talked to so many parents who have been wanting to hear this confirmed and I am confirming it, once and for all. We are going to have plenty of protections in place," De Blasio said during a press conference. 

Melissa Jean reads "The Gruffalo" to her son's pre-K class at Phyl's Academy in the Brooklyn borough of New York on March 24. New York City schools will be all in person this fall with no remote options, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday, May 24. (AP)

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"This has been such a tough year – what parents have been through, what kids have been through," he also said. "It’s time for everyone to come back. It’s time for us all to be together. It’s time to do things the way they were meant to be done, all the kids in the classroom together." 

However, in a letter New York City Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter sent to families Monday, she said: "Masks will continue to be a requirement in all of our school buildings."

"In our commitment to keep health and safety a top priority, we plan to adhere to the many health and safety measures we had in place this past school year," she wrote. 

Porter says students, teachers and staff will continue to complete daily health screenings at home before heading into classrooms and that "on-site COVID-19 testing will continue in school buildings as recommended by the latest health guidance."

"We will meet whatever the CDC social distancing requirements are in September, and we expect that the city’s continuously improving health metrics may allow for more flexibility by the fall," she added.

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Officials confirmed to Chalkbeat New York that with De Blasio’s announcement, coronavirus-related remote teaching options will no longer be offered to educators in the fall. 

"You can’t have a full recovery without full-strength schools, everyone back sitting in those classrooms, kids learning again," De Blasio said Monday.