March 22, 2020
Dear Families,
Tomorrow, we will all come together to take the first steps
of a huge new educational journey as New York City brings remote learning to
our 1.1 million students.
While none of us could have predicted even a few weeks ago
that we would launch this dramatic new transition in education, I could not be
prouder of the way our educators have come together to ready themselves to
teach your children from their own homes. And I could not be more grateful to
all of you for your faith in our educators, and all of the hardworking staff at
DOE.
This will not be perfect. Nothing can ever replace a
talented teacher in a classroom. We know the challenges and inequities our students
face. But over the past week I have seen DOE’s 150,000 staff rise to this
challenge in astounding ways. Your faith in them is deserved and earned.
Things have moved very quickly since Mayor de Blasio and I
made the very difficult decision one week ago that school buildings would close
for student instruction until at least April 20. Educators citywide created a
remote curriculum in days. Every school has been equipped with an online
platform. Learning resources, including those for special education and
multilingual learners, have been developed and posted on our website—and there
is so much more to come.
All the relevant information you need about engaging in
remote learning is on our website at schools.nyc.gov—please visit it frequently
for updates. And please check in with your teachers and principals if you have
questions: just as they were before last week, they will continue to be your
guide to instruction and (virtual) engagement during these unprecedented times.
I will share a few key pieces of information here to keep in mind for this
week:
• Remote
Learning: Each school has its own online platform, with many schools using
Google Classroom. Educators have contacted school communities to let you know
what remote learning tool your child’s school will be using.
o You
can find instructions on DOE student accounts and getting started in Google
Classroom and Microsoft Teams at schools.nyc.gov/learnathome.
o If
you are having additional problems connecting, contact your school directly via
email. Our Find a School tool can help you find contact info for your school as
well, if you do not already have it: schools.nyc.gov/find-a-school.
• Electronic
Devices: If your child needs an internet-connected device to participate in
remote learning, and you have not yet filled out a device request form, please
visit coronavirus.schools.nyc/RemoteLearningDevices
to request a device on loan from DOE.
• Many
of you have already received a device on loan from your school. If you have not
and you still require a device, please fill out the survey. Students with
Individualized Education Programs (IEPs): If your student is recommended for
integrated co-teaching, special class, or special education teacher support
services, your school will make every effort to arrange for them to continue to
receive instruction from the same special education teachers and classroom
paraprofessionals that usually teach them. Someone from your school will
contact you to discuss how instruction will be delivered.
o Your
child’s IEP meetings will still take place; IEP meetings will be conducted by
phone. To make a referral for initial evaluation or reevaluation, you can email
your principal or specialeducation@schools.nyc.gov,
or call 311.
o For
more on remote learning for students with IEPs, please visit schools.nyc.gov/learnathome.
• Free
Meals: We will continue to offer free meals in the weeks ahead at more than 400
sites across the city. Food hubs will operate Monday through Friday from 7:30
a.m. through 1:30 p.m., and any student of any age can get 3 meals daily. Visit
schools.nyc.gov/freemeals
to find a site near you.
• Regional
Enrichment Centers: On Monday, March 23, the City will open Regional Enrichment
Centers (RECs) for the children of front-line workers in the fight against
COVID-19—including first responders and healthcare workers. If you believe your
child may be eligible to attend a REC, please visit schools.nyc.gov/recs.
• Enrollment
and Placement Support: Family
Welcome Center staff are available by email, and are prepared to assist with
enrollment and placement of new admissions, questions around admissions,
information about offers, and waitlists. They do not handle REC
enrollment.
o Please
be aware FWCs are processing a high volume of questions at this time in
connection to the recent release of high school admissions offer letters. We
ask for your patience, and are aiming to respond to all requests within 48 hours.
Here’s how to receive direct support on these topics:
•
Bronx: bronxfwc@schools.nyc.gov
•
Brooklyn: brooklynfwc@schools.nyc.gov
•
Manhattan: manhattanfwc@schools.nyc.gov
•
Queens: queensfwc@schools.nyc.gov
•
Staten Island: statenislandfwc@schools.nyc.gov
Parents can also call 311 and say “Schools” to be routed to
someone who can help with schoolrelated questions.
If you need help with a problem that cannot be resolved at
the school level or wish to report a complaint, please reach out to your
district superintendent’s office. Contact information for your district support
team can be found here: schools.nyc.gov/about-us/leadership/district-leadership.
If you do not know the district in which your child’s school is located, please
use the Find A School tool: schools.nyc.gov/find-a-school.
There will surely be bumps in the road as we all adjust to
this new reality, and I want to thank you for the patience that will be
demanded of you as we undertake this transformation together.
In just a few hours, we will all take a great leap together
into uncharted territory. We will be successful if we continue to work together
as a community of families, educators, and staff. We all share two key goals: a
high-quality education for every single one of our 1.1 million students, and
protecting health and safety of everyone in our school communities.
That means that public education in New York City is going
to look tremendously different for the foreseeable future. But together, we
will chart this path forward, and I have no doubt that we will eventually look
back and say this was our finest hour: when we confronted this great challenge
and overcame it, in unity, with shared strength and commitment.
New York City has the greatest students and staff in the
world, and nothing will ever change that—today, tomorrow, or ever. I am excited
to be on this journey with you. Together, I am confident we will learn and grow
with boundless potential.
Sincerely,
Richard A. Carranza
Chancellor
New York City Department of Education
