New York City public school sports, end-of-year events and tutoring resume Saturday as the smoke from Canadian wildfires has begun to dissipate, the Department of Education announced.
In-person operations at all buildings and facilities will return to normal Monday, after hundreds of thousands students were sent home for remote learning the last day of the school week.
“Some weekend activities may still be canceled,” said Schools Chancellor David Banks in a statement. “For status, please contact event organizer.”
The directive also applies to special education services offered on Saturdays at some sites, as well as Regents prep courses ahead of state exams in the upcoming week, officials said.
Students and staff in public schools serving grades 9-12 and 6-12 that were scheduled to attend classes Friday did so virtually — while most other schools proceeded as planned with a clerical day off. Those staffers were able to work from home for two days in a row.
The shift was expected to impact roughly 290,000 students, including those in alternative programs, who otherwise would have learned in person.
All students had the day off Thursday for the obscure school holiday Anniversary Day — better known as Brooklyn-Queens Day.
Public schools spokesman Nathaniel Styer attributed the pivot at the end of the week to “the unique schedules for these two days,” as air quality conditions were uncertain.
At a public briefing Friday afternoon, city officials encouraged families to monitor the air quality, noting that children with asthma are especially sensitive to such conditions.
“As a father of three young kids, I expect to be outside this weekend,” said Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan. “But I’m going to check on how my children are feeling regularly, watching for watery eyes, sore throats and shortness of breath, and I’ll bring them inside if they’re showing any signs of this irritation.
“Parents and caregivers across our city should do the same.”
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