#City Hall close to releasing official plan to reopen NYC schools

Mayor de Blasio said the guidelines will give families a general sense of what to expect with the coronavirus crisis still wreaking havoc on building schedules and instructional formats.

“A lot of work has gone into that plan over the last few months, we’re going to be ready,” de Blasio said Wednesday.

Individual schools are slated to submit their own designs in two weeks after the principals union demanded an extension to grapple with logistical dilemmas and safety concerns.

De Blasio has previously cautioned that a final ruling won’t arrive until the days leading up to the scheduled September 10 start of the new year.

Gov. Cuomo is expected to render a decision on the viability of school resumption across the state in the first week of August and will base his call on coronavirus metrics.

“We are going to show the people of New York City more and more in a very visual manner the work that’s being done to prepare schools,” de Blasio said. “We’re going to get parents their specific schedules in about two weeks or so so everyone knows exactly what they’re dealing with, has time to make arrangements.”

City Hall is fielding pushback on a return to school buildings in September from an array of influential groups – including the city teacher and and principal unions.

Both forces have signaled their dissatisfaction with existing safety assurances and what they’ve deemed a lack of sufficient preparation from City Hall.

In addition, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams has put forth an alternative plan that would phase in a return to schools by age group.

De Blasio has stressed that most parents – especially those who don’t have the luxury of working remotely – are pining for a return to classroom learning in some form.

As it stands, de Blasio wants kids to start the year by alternating kids between building and remote instruction.