Around 90,000 children return to city classrooms; largest returning student body in nation since pandemic

About 90,000 pre-K, 3-K and special-education students returned to city classrooms Monday for the first time since March.

News 12 Staff

Sep 22, 2020, 2:44 AM

Updated 1,472 days ago

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About 90,000 pre-K, 3-K and special-education students returned to city classrooms Monday for the first time since March.
A total of 734 schools open this week for in-person instruction, including District 75 schools dedicated to students with special needs.
Even though schools aren't fully open just yet, the amount of students who came back to school Monday alone is the largest amount of kids who have returned since the start of the pandemic compared to anywhere else in the nation.
A mother of five, who all who attend city public schools, told News 12 that she's wearing a lot of hats, between keeping track of remote and blended learning models. She also says she's concerned about the school bus system, specifically for District 75, where students have door-to-door bus service. She wonders how often they will be disinfected, and if the employees will be able to keep track of all the different students' schedules.
Chancellor Richard Carranza tells News 12 that day one back inside classrooms went smoothly.
The Department of Education also posted that the "situation room" is up and running.
DOE employees can contact this team if they have questions, concerns or alerts related to COVID-19 cases.