Over 40,000 more students will not be returning to school this fall for in-person classes, according to new Department of Education data.
About 304,800 students have opted for fully remote learning this fall, according to data released on Monday. On Aug. 14, the department said that 264,000 students were set to take only online classes.
Concerns over the challenges facing in-person classes have steadily grown among parents, teachers and school staff as the start of the school year inches closer. Questions about class schedules, proper school ventilation, and supplies of personal protective equipment and cleaning gear remained unanswered as of Monday night.
Over 700,000 out of the city’s 1.1 million students are expected to return to school buildings on the first day of classes. However, that number is likely to change given that parents are allowed to opt to fully remote learning by filling out a learning preference survey whenever they want.
“Regardless of a school or parent’s decision, students will receive academic instruction either in-person or remote 5 days a week,” wrote DOE spokesperson Katie O’Hanlon in an email. ” Schools will use these survey results to program their school-specific reopening plans and starting this week schools will begin telling parents exactly which days their kids will be in school for those students in a blended learning model.”
New data was also included a racial and ethnic break down of students opting for remote-only learning. Survey results show that 28% of student that selected fully remote learning are Asian, 20% are Black, 37% identify as Hispanic, 12% as White, and 3% as other.
A breakdown of the economic need of students who requested remote learning by city school district was also released.
|
District |
% Remote Learning Requested |
Economic Need Index |
|
01 |
36% |
67% |
|
02 |
33% |
53% |
|
03 |
26% |
49% |
|
04 |
32% |
83% |
|
05 |
26% |
83% |
|
06 |
27% |
83% |
|
07 |
24% |
92% |
|
08 |
31% |
83% |
|
09 |
25% |
93% |
|
10 |
29% |
84% |
|
11 |
28% |
79% |
|
12 |
24% |
93% |
|
13 |
34% |
61% |
|
14 |
31% |
75% |
|
15 |
29% |
57% |
|
16 |
26% |
83% |
|
17 |
28% |
77% |
|
18 |
27% |
74% |
|
19 |
29% |
87% |
|
20 |
40% |
77% |
|
21 |
32% |
74% |
|
22 |
32% |
65% |
|
23 |
26% |
88% |
|
24 |
28% |
73% |
|
25 |
39% |
64% |
|
26 |
40% |
49% |
|
27 |
33% |
69% |
|
28 |
34% |
62% |
|
29 |
32% |
64% |
|
30 |
28% |
68% |
|
31 |
25% |
53% |
|
32 |
24% |
87% |
|
75 |
30% |
89% |
|
79 |
2% |
86% |
