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De Blasio Says NYC Won’t ‘Take the Easy Way’ of Remote Schools

De Blasio Says NYC Won’t ‘Take the Easy Way’ of Remote Schools

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he has confidence in his latest timeline for in-class learning and won’t “take the easy way” by instituting all-remote learning for the nation’s largest school district.

“Remote education is easier, it’s less helpful for our kids and our families, it sets them back and we’re not going to let that happen,” de Blasio said Friday in an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program.

De Blasio Says NYC Won’t ‘Take the Easy Way’ of Remote Schools

On Thursday, four days before all New York City schools were to reopen for in-person instruction, the mayor delayed classes for elementary schoolers until Sept. 29 and for middle- and high-school students until Oct. 1. The move, which followed an earlier delay that pushed the reopening to Sept. 21 from Sept. 10, frustrated parents and raised questions over whether the city would follow districts like Chicago and Los Angeles to start the year online.

The mayor reiterated his commitment to reopening in-person education, saying that most parents want their children back in the classrooms. Going virtual would “cheat our kids” and “exacerbate the disparities in our society,” he said.

“If we wanted to take the easy way we would have gone remote a long time ago,” he said.

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