40 Percent Of Bayside Students Opt For All-Remote Learning

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — Forty percent of public school students in District 26 won't see the inside of a classroom when they head back to school this September.

More than 13,000 students in Northeast Queens have opted to instead attend all their classes virtually, according to the latest numbers from the NYC Department of Education.

There are roughly 31,000 students in the district, which includes the neighborhoods of Bayside, Douglaston, Fresh Meadows, Little Neck and Oakland Gardens.

District 26 students are choosing all-remote learning at a higher rate than most New York City children, the data shows.

Citywide, 30 percent of students have chosen to go fully remote, according to the Department of Education data released Monday.

The rest of students will do a mix of in-person and remote learning, though they have the option to switch to all-remote schooling at any time.

Remote learning rates vary depending on the school district and students' backgrounds: Non-white students were likelier to opt for all-remote schooling, while the rates were lower in low-income neighborhoods, Chalkbeat New York reported.

About 47 percent of Asian students citywide have already signed up to be fully remote, the largest share of any racial group, according to Chalkbeat New York.

School buildings will only open next month if New York City's rate of positive COVID-19 tests remains under 3 percent, city officials have said.

“With our record-low infection rate, New York City is the safest major city in America,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “Our plan to reopen our schools is the most rigorous in the country, and I want parents to know that we are taking absolutely every precaution to keep their children healthy and safe.”

Yet coronavirus infection rates vary widely by neighborhood.

De Blasio has enthusiastically pushed for students to return to classrooms, while many educators have cast doubts on the safety of in-person learning during the coronavirus pandemic.

United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew has referred to the planned Sept. 10 reopening as "one of the biggest debacles in history."