One Third Of Harlem Students Opt For Remote Classes

HARLEM, NY — A third of public school students in Harlem have opted out of the city's in-person reopening plan and will instead attend classes remotely starting Sept. 21, according to the latest numbers from the Department of Education.

Of the roughly 9,975 students in District 5 — which covers most of Central Harlem and parts of East and West Harlem — 33 percent, or nearly 3,300, have chosen to start the year with distance learning when schools reopen.

The city is allowing families to opt out at any time from its reopening plan, which calls for a mix of in-person and remote learning. The latest numbers, which show families' plans as of Sept. 4, show an increase of four percentage points in the number of Harlem families who have opted out in the past two weeks.

Families in District 5 are opting out a a lower rate than in East Harlem's District 4, where 41 percent have chosen to go remote, and District 6 in Upper Manhattan, where 36 percent have opted out.

Citywide, about 39 percent of New York's one million students are requesting remote learning, according to the city data. City officials have said they expect the numbers to change as more families opt in or out of remote learning throughout the year.