NYC Private Schools Backtrack on In-Person Classes in Winter

(Bloomberg) -- For more than two months, most New York City private schools have conducted in-person learning with few Covid cases or closings.

That streak brought families back from their second homes, gave working parents relief after a rough stretch of work-plus-school-from-home, and gave boosts to local businesses, such as the coffee shops where parents went after morning drop-off.

Now that winter is looming, there will be fewer primly-dressed children pouring in and out of school buildings, fewer families in their city residences and fewer teachers driving to work. Schools that have taken pride in their in-person instruction -- and charge annual tuitions of about $55,000 -- are doing an about-face, increasing days of all-remote instruction.

The move could help prevent abrupt closures triggered by rising Covid rates, or among families and faculty at the schools. On Tuesday, the state’s daily positivity rate reached 3% for the first time since May.

An even greater priority is providing freedom to families and teachers to travel and socialize responsibly around the Thanksgiving and winter breaks. Starting remote around Thanksgiving will give them time to quarantine at their destination before seeing family, while early January remote learning provides time for families to adhere to New York State’s travel advisory.

New York City public schools -- the country’s largest system -- have more rigid policies mandated by state and local officials. They’ll proceed around the breaks with some days of in-person instruction. Students have Thanksgiving and the day after off, and are off from Dec. 25 to Jan 1. Public schools had a delayed start to in-class instruction in September, and have made it through with low rates, though classrooms have been relatively empty, with 54% of students choosing all-remote learning. Parents have until Nov. 15 to switch to a blend of in-person and remote. The charter network Success Academy started all-remote and plans to continue it through mid-March.

Schools haven’t been a driver of high positivity rates, according to public health officials, who point the finger at travel and specific gatherings and events. So parents and students have been receiving warnings of late.

“When safety measures are lax or flouted, individuals are making choices that put us all at risk,” Jessica Bagby, head of school at Ethical Culture Fieldston, wrote to parents.

While Governor Andrew Cuomo’s travel advisory now includes ways to test out of a 14-day quarantine, the schools that are operating remotely in early January give students and teachers two weeks of quarantine after the break, before returning to in-person learning.

“The 14-day remote start in January is the most prudent and safe approach to our re-entry to School and to ensuring academic continuity,” Bodie Brizendine, head of school at Spence, wrote to parents.

Here’s a look at some private schools’ plans:

ALLEN-STEVENSON

At this all-boys school, remote learning will take place for two weeks after winter break, from Jan. 4 through Jan. 15, according to its website. Classes resume in person on Jan. 19.

BROWNING SCHOOL

Boys at the Browning School will go on break the day before Thanksgiving, with parent-teacher conferences on Monday and Tuesday on Zoom. On Nov. 30 the school will go all-remote, with winter break from Dec. 21 through Jan. 1. On Jan. 4, the alternating-weeks schedule resumes, with grades K-5 and 9-12 returning to the building on Jan. 4, and grades 6-8 back on Jan. 11.

COLLEGIATE SCHOOL

This all-boys school will be in person after Thanksgiving break through Dec. 18, but will have remote instruction on Dec. 4 and Dec. 11 to give faculty and staff an opportunity “to recharge from the intensity of their extra responsibilities,” according to an email sent to parents. In-building supervision is available on those two days. The school will also be remote from Jan. 4 to Jan. 15. Entry on Jan. 19 will require a negative Covid test result.

CONVENT OF THE SACRED HEART

The all-girls school will be on Thanksgiving break from Nov. 23 through Nov. 30. Instruction will then be all remote through Dec. 7, when in-person classes resume. Winter break begins Dec. 17 or Dec. 18, depending on class year. Instruction resumes remotely on Jan. 4 and in person on Jan. 11.

DALTON

Dalton will be remote until winter break with in-person supervision (Grades K-5) and work space (Grades 6-12) provided for interested students to login to digital classes. Starting in January, Dalton will offer a mix of on-campus instruction with teachers, while continuing digital instruction for K-12.

ETHICAL CULTURE FIELDSTON

The school will remain open after its two breaks for in-person instruction, with plans to close only out of necessity, related to virus transmission rates or inclement weather. Thanksgiving break is Nov. 23 to Nov. 27, and winter break from Dec. 21 to Jan. 1.

HORACE MANN

Horace Mann will be remote after Thanksgiving break through the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. In-person instruction resumes Jan. 19.

NIGHTINGALE-BAMFORD

Learning will be in person through the Dec. 18 start of winter break. Instruction will then be remote for two weeks, allowing for faculty and families to quarantine for 14 days.

RIVERDALE

The school will be remote the week after Thanksgiving, and is prepared to go on a hybrid schedule from Dec. 7 to Dec. 18, depending on the incidence of the virus in the community. Winter break runs from Dec. 19 through Jan. 18. Instruction will then be in person, with a negative Covid test required to return.

SPENCE

Spence will conduct its classes remotely the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving, providing space at the school for students to do their work if necessary. Lower and middle school students return for in-person instruction on Nov. 30, with the upper school resuming its hybrid in-person/remote schedule on Dec. 7. Winter break runs Dec. 21 through Jan. 1, with instruction being done remotely Jan. 4 through Jan. 15.

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