Success Academy Sends 18K Students Home As Coronavirus Hits NYC

NEW YORK CITY — More than 18,000 charter school students will move to online classrooms after Success Academy announced it would closes its 45 campuses.

Success Academy suspended on-campus classes Friday and will relaunch with remote learning on Thursday, giving teachers three school days to prepare for the switch, said founder and CEO Eva Moskowitz.

"We know some families will have trouble getting childcare, and we regret that there is not a solution that meets everyone’s needs," Moskowitz said. "But the coronavirus pandemic is unprecedented and evolving rapidly.”

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Several New York City schools have temporarily closed and the CUNY system has also transitioned to online learning.

Success Academy's announcement came after City Council Speaker Corey Johnson called on New York to close its public schools and Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency in the city.

"We must take aggressive measures to stop the spread of #COVID19," Johnson tweeted. "It is time to close our public schools."

But the Mayor argued on "The Brian Lehrer Show" Friday morning that public schools provide child care that make it possible for New Yorkers to work and connect children with vital resources to help them stay healthy.

"We need our children to be fed," de Blasio said. "We need people to keep working for our livelihood."