NEW YORK _ Nearly 300,000 city families _ a quarter of the city's 1.1 million-student school system _ have signed up for remote-only learning this fall as of last Friday, city officials announced Monday.
That means more than 700,000 students are currently slated to attend school part-time this fall under the city's hybrid learning plan to reduce crowding in school buildings.
The results come after Gov. Andrew Cuomo began clearing the path for schools to open in September based on continuing low rates of COVID-19 infections across the state.
"It's going to be a very different school year, but it does not take away the excitement, the energy, possibility, and the meaning for our kids. Our kids have been yearning to reconnect with school," said Mayor Bill de Blasio at a Monday morning news conference.
The tally of families staying home for remote learning may not be final. Families can continue to opt in to remote-only learning at any time, though they will only periodically be able to switch back to in-person learning if they already chose remote.
Roughly 15% of the city's 75,000-strong teacher workforce applied for medical exemptions to stay home from school buildings and teach remotely. If all those applications are approved, nearly 10,000 city teachers will work from home this fall, officials added.
