NEW YORK CITY — As New York City schools gear up to reopen in some format for the new academic year, one new mandate might provide parents a bit of relief.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday that every city public school building will have at least one certified nurse on site when they open again for the fall.
“There’s a tremendous value to having a health professional present,” the mayor said.
According to de Blasio, the city is working with NYC Health + Hospitals to make sure there are enough nurses for every school.
“They hired thousands and thousands of nurses at the height of the pandemic in April,” the mayor said. “They’ll have them. We’ll have them for the whole school year.”
De Blasio also confirmed that Health + Hospitals will be covering the cost of these new nurses.
The announcement addresses one of the concerns listed in a highly publicized Change.org petition opposing the mayor’s plan to reopen school buildings in September.
The online petition has garnered over 12,000 signatures so far.
“I hear you loud and clear,” de Blasio said addressing the concern over the lack of nurses.
However, the mayor adds that nurses have a duty.
“This is a professional reality,” he added. “People have a job to do… and they have to be there for their kids. People are going to complain, I am not saying that derogatorily.”
