New York City schools will shut down Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Sunday after a week of mounting pressure from parents, unions and other elected officials to shutter the schools amid the rapid spread of the coronavirus.
New York City’s schools will close Monday and remain shut till at least April 20 — and possibly the rest of the school year, the Mayor said Sunday, the NY Post reports.
“To say the least, this is a very troubling moment, a moment where I am just distraught at having to take this action,” said de Blasio, who had been facing a coup from parents and teachers over his refusal to close the schools amid the coronavirus.
“But I became convinced over the course of today that there was no other choice,” de Blasio said — adding that New York City is now up to five dead and 329 confirmed cases of the virus.
“We may have to go out” for the rest of the school year, “we may not have the opportunity to re-open them,” he warned, the NY Post reports.
The mayor said remote learning for students would begin March 23, with teachers undergoing “battlefield training.” The mayor added that over the next five days, schools would be open for “grab-and-go meals” for needy students, but that would only last this next week.
In Crown Heights, all Headstart School programs will be closing as well.
