“The Mayor’s decision to delay school re-openings to September 21^st is a step in the right direction. Nothing is more important than safety, and I am glad we are prioritizing the health of students, teachers and school staff. Sadly, this common-sense measure should have been announced sooner to better allow school staff and families to plan properly for the academic year, something I and many of my colleagues urged the Administration to do in August.

“Instead, Mayor de Blasio dragged his feet while parents and educators fretted about how to make the impossible work, waiting until a week before school is scheduled to provide clarity for our school community. We live in uncertain times. Everyone is on edge. This type of indecision only fuels confusion. We know our City’s principals and teachers will work very hard to ensure schools are ready by September 21^st, but they will need better guidance from the Department of Education (DOE) to adequately prepare and best protect our students.

“I applaud the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), the Council of School Supervisors & Administrators (CSA), parents and everyone who advocated for a delay and helped make this decision a reality. We need to come together and do what is best to keep our City’s children safe and healthy.”

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