On Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio revealed a plan for schools in September that involves combining remote learning and in person while following strict COVID-19 safety precautions.

The plan also detailed how the Department of Education will react if positive cases arise in the school community.

According to the guidelines, before the first day of class all staff members will have to take a mandatory COVID-19 test. The mayor says they will have priority access for free testing which will also be available for families.

When it comes to the everyday school day, schools will be required to provide face coverings, sanitation stations and social distance layouts for classrooms. Cleaning throughout the day and nightly disinfecting will also be mandatory.

There will be an “isolation room” for students who have symptoms and in that room there will be a dedicated staff member, or health professional to monitor the student until they are picked up.

When it comes to staff members or students infected who test positive for the virus, the mayor says they have created various procedures to handle the situation. Some involve closing the classroom and having students do remote learning for 2 weeks.  In the worst case scenario, the school building will close for at least 14 days while contact tracers investigate.

The city will be submitting its school reopening plan to the state today. From there the governor will decided if he approves.