no specific plan. Instead, Carranza said directors should keep in mind that the reopening can take place in phases. Students are likely to take turns attending school, and there may be a combination of remote and in-person learning.
Carranza said top priorities include ensuring that schools have the supplies and protocols they need to protect the physical and mental health of staff and students.
In a conference call with principals this week, Carranza said that school buildings can only accommodate less than half of the students at the start of the reopening.
Students could take morning and evening shifts and alternate attendance days, something proposed by Michael Mulgrew, union leader for the United Federation of Teachers.
Schools around the world have transformed the typical classroom experience through social distancing and staggered schedules. In Japan, for example, parents must take the daily temperature of students and children alternate school days so that half of the desks can be left empty to meet social distancing. Students should also remain silent during lunch, which they eat in their classrooms. Still, some schools closed shortly after opening when new cases emerged.
Meanwhile, in New York City, school principals face great uncertainty. In addition to the logistical challenges posed by the health crisis, they face the possibility of deep budget cuts that would make the health crisis even more difficult. Directors have generally already received their individual budgets. Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council are dealing with a massive income deficit due to the pandemic.
De Blasio has proposed a more than $ 400 million cut to the Department of Education for the upcoming school year. In addition, the state budget that was approved in April allows the governor to impose more reductions in the coming months of not receiving federal aid.
However, some education advocates expect De Blasio to deliver on his promise to cut funds to the NYPD and allocate them for education.
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