Tuesday was the second day of school in New York City, and so far, 83 coronavirus cases have been reported across public schools.
Social worker Justin Spiro said the hardest part of his job is getting through to families and students who do not believe schools are safe.
Spiro sayid the first few weeks are the honeymoon phase for students getting back to the classroom, but he expects a deluge from kids suffering from trauma and anxiety after being cooped up for 18 months in a pandemic.
The Department of Education is reporting first day of school attendance 82.4%. That’s much lower than pre-pandemic years hovering around 90%.
The chancellor would not release how 82% was determined. In an email, the Department of Education said they would release the numbers in October, when registration for enrollment ended.
The mayor called enrollment on the first day a good number, one he expected to grow rapidly.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story mentioned the number of classrooms closed due to COVID-19 exposure. City data released later in the evening was unclear as to how many classrooms had actually been closed.
