The Department of Education has officially started warning principals of a possible temporary statewide closure of schools as infection rates continue to rise.

Chancellor Richard Carranza sent out an email to hundreds of principals Thursday night advising them to be ready for the possibility of a temporary shutdown.

"Out of an abundance of caution, and to keep our school communities safe, I am asking all schools to be prepared for a brief time of fully remote learning, system-wide. And while no decision has been made about a system-wide transition to remote learning, as every great school leader knows, we must be prepared for every scenario,”says Chancellor Carranza.

He thanked school staff for their hard work in maintaining low levels of positive tests in their buildings in the last two months.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday that parents should have a plan ready as early as Monday in case New York City reaches 3% over the weekend. He says a 3% infection rate will close down schools.

City and school leaders have been monitoring cases on a daily COVID-19 case map and the state's report card method school trackers that report positive cases by school.

News 12 is told more than 54% of students have been attending in person learning, and principals are now being asked to prepare to go back to full remote if warranted.

Nothing has been set in stone, but Chancellor Carranza says principals should be organizing with their teachers to transition their students.