NYC public schools to remain open Monday, Tuesday

NEW YORK - With the positivity rate below the threshold set for closing, New York City public schools would remain open to in-person instruction Monday and Tuesday, said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The seven-day rolling average on Monday was 2.77%

"We've got a fight ahead to keep them open," said Mayor de Blasio during a briefing from City Hall. "I'm not giving up and you shouldn't give up either. Every day that our schools are open is a blessing."

De Blasio had warned Friday that schools could close as soon as Monday if the city crossed the threshold set earlier of 3% of coronavirus tests citywide coming back positive over a seven-day period. The rate stayed short of that on Sunday, at 2.57%, he said.

New York City's public school system, by far the nation's largest with more than a million students, was one of few big-city districts to reopen classrooms this fall after the pandemic forced schools across the United States online in the spring.

Parents were given a choice of all-remote instruction or a “blended learning” system with students in class some days and learning online the other days.

About 280,000 students have attended in person, fewer than city officials had expected.