#Mayor de Blasio, Carranza roll out NYC school reopening plan for fall

Mayor Bill de Blasio officially presented his school reopening plan Friday — calling for a weekly “blended approach’’ of in-class and online learning for “a vast majority of kids.”

Most students will physically be in class two to three days a week, the mayor said.

“You can certainly say, ‘Yeah, it’s gonna be tough, it’s gonna take a lot of work,’ ’’ Hizzoner told reporters in a conference call.

He said the city’s daily positive-test rate for the coronavirus must remain below 3 percent for the plan to work. He said Friday’s figures show it remains steady at 1 percent.

The discovery of a vaccine for the deadly contagion would help bring schools “back to full strength,’’ de Blasio said, referring to all in-school learning.

He said it was “conceivable’’ that schools could fully reopen for on-site instruction without a vaccine if the number of virus cases in the city becomes virtually nonexistent but added that the scenario would be “difficult.’’

Each school’s plan will vary between one to three days of in-student learning, with the rest of the school week remote, depending on such things as its enrollment and layout, city officials said.

Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, who appeared with the mayor at the press conference, said, “We want students to have as much in-person experience as possible,’’ while keeping in mind the health constraints.

He said they were making the decision now because “we want to give some consistency to parents.

“We’re really dealing with … imperfect solutions,’’ he said.

City Hall is facing dual pressure from the city teachers and principals unions over the reopening. Both groups have complained about a lack of adequate safety and logistical preparation.

City Department of Education spokeswoman Danielle Filson said in a statement Friday, “The health and safety of all New York City students, teachers and staff is the priority when it comes to reopening.

“To ensure the safety of all New Yorkers, we’re planning to open all buildings at the same time in September, with equitable space sharing arrangements among co-located schools, including charters.”