The largest school district in the country will return to all-remote learning Thursday as a new wave of coronavirus cases sweeps through the city, New York City schools chancellor Richard A. Carranza told principals Wednesday, the New York Times reports.
“As of this morning, November 18, the City has now reached this threshold of test positivity citywide and, as a result, the DOE will temporarily close down all public school buildings for in-person learning, Thursday, November 19,” Carranza said in an email.
New York City currently has a 3% positivity rate for coronavirus tests, a relatively low rate but one that can explode if not properly addressed. The entire US currently has a test positivity rate of around 10%; South Dakota’s is currently 60%.
New York public school have more than 300,000 students and 75,000 teachers and administrators spread over 1,700 buildings. New York was the first major city to open its public schools in September, when test positivity rates were around 1%, but rising COVID rates among the city’s population will likely push for a new round of shutdowns throughout the city.