Spring break is canceled in New York.
Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order stating that all schools in the state "must continue to provide remote instruction for students...even if the district is scheduled to be on spring break." That will reshape the NYC school calendar for 2019-2020, scuttling the break public schools were expecting.
According to Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, educators will get April 9 and 10 off for the Passover and Easter holidays, but home learning will pick up again on Monday, April 13, when Spring Break was supposed to start. According to Mulgrew, "Governor Cuomo believes public schools can play a critical role in keeping kids engaged in learning at home during this critical period so the virus does not have the opportunity to spread more widely in our communities. That is why he is using his emergency powers to keep schools open during spring breaks throughout the state."
In other words: Don't be a fool, stay in school—to flatten the curve.
NYC families are adjusting to the trials and triumphs of remote learning: There are few things cuter than 30 second-graders in a Zoom meeting with all the mics turned on. The NYPL is pitching in with free homework help and virtual one-on-one tutoring, and there are now some amazing online resources for home learning from videos and live feeds from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums that will turn your home into a zoo, to #ConcertsForKids from Lincoln Center, to virtual storytimes and more.
And if your fam needs a break from all that learning, we're here to help: Pop some popcorn and stream one of the 50 best Disney movies of all time. If we're all going on a staycation, let's make the most of it.
Sign up to receive great Time Out New York Kids deals in your inbox each day.