NYC to Begin Opt-in Period for Switch to Blended Learning

(Bloomberg) -- New York City will allow students to switch from all-remote learning to a blended program for two weeks beginning Nov. 2, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

In-person education has been rarer than anticipated, as many parents were hesitant to send their children, Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said. The city has proven that schools are safe, with a positive testing rate of less than 1%, and it is encouraging parents to reconsider, de Blasio said.

The opt-in period will be the only time that parents in the largest public U.S. school system can switch from remote to blended learning, Carranza said. That is a change from previous plans to allow several opportunities.

Currently, more than 280,000 of the city’s 1.1 million students are attending school in person, with an overall daily attendance rate of 85.3%, de Blasio said.

De Blasio said that the citywide positivity rate of tests is 1.73% over a seven-day rolling average. The city reported 551 new cases, compared with an early-warning threshold of 550; and 75 patents hospitalized for Covid, less than a 200 threshold.

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