All NYC public school classes will be completely in-person in September, Mayor de Blasio says

All classes at city schools in September will be in-person only — with no virtual option — Mayor de Blasio said Monday.

His brief announcement on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” put to rest weeks of speculation on whether fall school would include some kind of virtual option for students who for one reason or another don’t want to return to in-person learning on a full-time basis.

“New York City public schools — one million kids — will be back in their classroom in September, all in person, no remote,” Hizzoner said.

The announcement came amid a historic vaccination effort that has caused COVID numbers to reach their lowest levels in months as the mayor pushes to get the city fully reopened by June.

Parents and students waiting outside the Roberto Clemente School (PS 15) on E. 4th Street in Manhattan last September. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/)

About 60% of city families — most of them people of color — are still in full remote-learning mode.

Asked how the city would persuade hesitant parents to send their kids back to schools, de Blasio said they will be welcome to come check out facilities starting in June to see “how much has been done to keep [students] safe.”

He also said schools have the capacity the enforce 3-foot social distancing guidelines, though he predicted the feds would ease the recommendations by September.

Like much of life in the city, next school year is poised to present a marked contrast with conditions in fall 2020.

Disagreements with the union of city educators prompted repeated delays to the start of the 2020 school year. Then COVID outbreaks led the mayor to declare an across-the-board closure in November, followed by staggered re-openings.

De Blasio was expected to share more details about next school year at his Monday press conference, scheduled to start at 10 a.m.

This is a developing story.

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