As the five-year mark since the unprecedented closure of New York City's schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic comes around, reflections on the critical decisions made during March 2020 are surfacing. According to interviews conducted by Gothamist, the days leading up to the closure were fueled with tension, a race against an accelerating global crisis, and pressure on Mayor Bill de Blasio from all sides of the argument—parents, teachers, and health officials. As the nation's largest school system grappled with the threat, attendance plummeted, and the questions surrounding remote learning and student safety rose to the forefront.
Mayor de Blasio had been under fire for hesitating to shut down the school system despite the rapidly escalating health emergency. It was a decision fraught with challenges, as the mayor worried about the impact on children's education and the crucial services that schools provide to kids beyond academia. "I felt very strongly that if we closed the schools in March, we would never get them back that school year. And I thought that would be devastating for kids, but also for parents," de Blasio told Gothamist. The concerns didn't come lightly; alongside learning loss, the schools were a lifeline for many students providing nutrition and support for familial issues.
Despite the mayor's reluctance, the push to close the schools only intensified as confirmed cases doubled day by day, and the city's first COVID-19 death—an 82-year-old woman—was reported by The New York Post. De Blasio ultimately announced on March 15, 2020, that schools would close until at least April 20, 2020 hinting at the possibility that this could extend for the remainder of the school year. "This is a decision I have taken with no joy," de Blasio stated.
The transition to remote learning was to begin on March 23, 2020 termed as "battlefield training" for teachers by de Blasio, which also aimed to help set up enrichment centers for the children of health care and emergency services workers. Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza labeled the moment as "very sobering," recognizing the significant step the city had taken. "We're at the last resort," Carranza said, as noted by The New York Post.
