School reopening is a challenging but essential endeavor. It can be aided by the use of multilayered mitigation strategies that help reduce in-school transmission risk. The case of New York City, which has maintained in-person instruction since September 2020 despite community infection rates spiking and falling, offers lessons for the nation.
To keep schools open, NYC has implemented strict quarantine policies and enforces a classroom-by-classroom positivity rate. The department has also established a comprehensive system of testing and tracking. To facilitate these efforts, it has created the NYC Test & Trace Corps, a team of medical professionals and others who help to track and trace students, teachers, and staff members who are symptomatic or have tested positive for COVID-19. It has also partnered with the United Federation of Teachers to complete workplace risk assessments for educators and to ensure that each school has at least two air purifiers in each classroom.
As of March 22, 2021, NYC’s 1,600 schools were open, with a small percentage closed due to classroom-by-classroom positivity rates or lagging vaccination rates. The city continues to monitor these rates and, as of this writing, is working towards reopening all schools and classrooms by early June.
If you are thinking about starting a new school, it is important to build a team of people who have different skills—people who know what you don’t know and can connect you to the people who do. For example, you may want to ask community leaders with experience in financial management, legal matters, and building projects.