It’s going to be a first day of school like none other.
Nearly one million New York City public school students will be returning to class on Monday morning to kick off a new learning year.
It will be the first day of classes without a remote option since the COVID-19 pandemic closed school doors in March 2020 — and a bevvy of issues leading up to reopening have dominated headlines in recent weeks.
Here are some of the topics parents need to know about the nation’s largest public system as another year begins:
Vaccination concerns
There is currently no vaccine mandate for older students in the city school system — which will teach 890,000 kids this year — and children under 12 are still ineligible to receive the jab.
City Hall, however, has mandated all city Department of Education employees get at least one shot by Sept. 27 or face possible removal from payroll.
But the directive has presented another challenge with 36,000 DOE workers — including more than 15,000 teachers remaining unvaccinated as of last week.
Some of those staffers still without at least one shot are presumably seeking a medical or religious exemption — which City Hall has opposed.
The United Federation of Teachers has fought against portions of the mandate and in a ruling last week scored a win against the city.
UFT vs. the City
An arbitrator last Friday ruled the city needs to provide accommodations to DOE staff with medical conditions or religious beliefs that preclude them from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the decision by mediator Martin Scheinman, public school teachers who refused to get inoculated against the coronavirus have to be offered unpaid leave or a severance package.
Most teachers can stay on payroll while their application for a vaccine or medical exemption is being heard, or if they appeal a denial of their request, the ruling says.
Teachers who resign due to refusal to get jabbed won’t be immediately fired. They will be able to take leave without pay and will be entitled to health insurance through September 2022, according to the decision.
Funds to address academic fallout
With consecutive school years thrown into chaos by the coronavirus, the DOE has earmarked $350 million in federal funds to address educational damage caused by the pandemic.
The money will support a range of initiatives from literacy programs to new arts offerings to aid in “academic recovery,” according to a budgeting memo obtained by The Post.
Each public school will get anywhere from $75,000 to $600,000 for the cause.
Each recipient must dedicate at least 20 percent of its award to pay for arts-related programs, according to the memo.
Remote learning for quarantined students
Quarantined students will learn remotely, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last month, but details on the learning alternative are scarce.
“We have a variety of materials ready,” de Blasio has said.
“Different approaches depending on grade level. We laid out some of it in the handbook. But we are going to be adding updates in the coming weeks.”
Kids who are asymptomatic and vaccinated will not have to quarantine in the event of a positive case in their classroom, according to a school reopening handbook provided to parents.
The exemption will not be available to students under the age of 12 because they aren’t eligible for the COVID-19 shot, the guidance said.
Spacing issues over social distancing guidelines
The city’s principals union, the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, warned last month that many buildings will lack the sufficient space needed to enforce the DOE’s 3-foot separation mandate.
Many NYC schools are already overcrowded, and schools are doing thing such as staggering starting times to accommodate students.
The CSA had argued the DOE’s guidelines run counter to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, which said that 3 feet should only be enforced when practicable.
Status of NYC Catholic schools
New York City Catholic elementary schools fully reopened last Wednesday without a hybrid and remote learning option.
Students and teachers are required to complete a health checklist and undergo a temperature check before entering school grounds.
Visitors will also have to complete a screening and temperature check.
Kids will then be split into groups and be required to remain within their group throughout the day, WLNY reported.
The new precautionary protocols come after Catholic school students flocked back to in-person learning in September 2020 — even as the reopening of Department of Education classrooms was delayed.
City Catholic schools saw an increase in interest from public school families frustrated by the lack of full-time classes, parochial officials told The Post in November.
