New York City High Schools Resume Classes in Final Phase of Reopening

New York City high schools resumed classes Thursday, completing the final phase of reopening the largest school system in the United States.

"There is no book on how to open a school safely. There is no pamphlet on how to do this," said Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers.

New York City is set to begin testing 10% to 20% of students and staff in every building monthly beginning Thursday, the same day the final wave of the district's more than 1 million students returns to brick-and-mortar classrooms for the first time in six months.

"We will not go back to March," Mulgrew said, standing outside of the one the city's high schools.

"Now that the schools are open, we move into the phase of monitoring everything. Complete transparency. If there's a problem, we deal with it. We don't hide it. We don't try to sweep it under the rug," the union president said.

With an estimated 100,000 to 120,000 tests expected each month, each costing between $78 and $90, New York City's school-based testing plan goes well beyond safety protocols seen in most other districts.

Regardless the test results, Mulgrew insisted schools will not be closed again. The question, he said, is whether students are learning in classrooms or from home.

Positive cases found in New York City schools will trigger set responses, beginning with tracing teams dispatched to the school to figure out who else may have been exposed.

A single case will push that student or teacher's entire class to remote learning until contact tracing is complete. More than one case will mean an entire school will temporarily halt in-person instruction.

The teachers union had battled with the city's mayor at times, threatening to strike to delay the school year unitl safety protocols were in place.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

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