School Chancellor Richard Carranza signaled on Tuesday that he and his aides were making plans to restart schools in September. Better late than never, we suppose, but the delay is terrible.
In a letter to Department of Education staff, the school boss explained the steps he considered to start the academic year, including the possibility of gradual start dates and online / hybrid learning programs.
Schools can start the year on different dates. The student’s own schedule can vary, starting and ending the day at different hours; class periods may not all be completed at the same time. Some will receive online instructions on certain days while others are at school – and activate other days.
That makes sense and suggests Carranza & Co. at least start thinking about reopening schools, as Ray Domanico of the Manhattan Institute and others have warned in The Post that they should do it.
The system and its leaders “have an obligation to be prepared for any form of learning that will take place next year,” Domanico wrote. In September, they “must have a functioning distance learning platform” – as opposed to the current system, which cannot even determine how many children are actually learning.
Domanico also predicted the city would need a hybrid system to allow social distance, noting that some children learn well from a distance. But the aim is to get as many children as possible in the class, while protecting their health and safety, because, as Karol Markowicz said, it is necessary to let parents return to work outside their homes.
In any case, given the importance of schools that work, it is surprising that Carranza does not yet have at least a draft plan, even one with the possibility to deal with the corona virus.
In the end, Governor Andrew Cuomo must sign the plan and reopen the date, but time is the point: Parents and children need to plan ahead. Unlike, apparently, Carranza & Co.
