DOE shrinks window to opt back to blended learning

Starting next week, parents with full remote students can switch to blended learning. However, the Department of Education is offering only one opt-in time period to switch.

News 12 Staff

Oct 29, 2020, 12:46 PM

Updated 1,445 days ago

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Starting next week, parents with full remote students can switch to blended learning. However, the Department of Education is offering only one opt-in time period to switch.
Parents say they are not happy with the new change. “It leaves us in the air,” a Bronx mother of three tells News 12.
This week, the DOE announced that the opt-in period for students who want to switch to hybrid learning will begin on Nov. 2 and last through the Nov. 15.
This is the only time the DOE is allowing parents to switch.
“This will be the only time to opt-in, let me repeat that it’s the only time to opt-in which is a change we originally said over the summer,” said NYC Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza.
This means a remote student who switches to blended learning will have to remain hybrid for the rest of the school year.
The DOE says the new opt-in change will better improve stability for families and teachers, but some parents say they feel the rug has been pulled from underneath them.
The United Federation of Teachers weighed in on the issue saying, “City Hall's decision violates the plan New York City filed with the state, and it breaks faith with parents. Families were told they would have an opportunity each quarter to decide whether their child returned to the classroom or remained fully remote. Such a decision undermines parents' trust in the system."
Parents say it isn’t the time for the DOE to change from what it previously said.