Bill de Blasio Announces Reopening Delay for NYC Public Schools

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that most of the city’s schools will not open this Monday as planned.

Speaking at a news conference Thursday morning, the mayor said that only preschool and special ed will open on Monday. The opening for elementary schools has been pushed to Sept. 29, while middle and high schools will not resume in-person instruction until Oct. 1.

The mayor was facing heavy criticism for proceeding with the reopening despite safety concerns. Michael Mulgrew, the head of the United Federation of Teachers Union that represents city teachers, said that his membership did not believe the schools were ready to reopen.

“We did not meet the goal of getting all the schools ready by any means,” Mulgrew said. “We still have a lot of work to do.”

The mayor said he spoke with Mulgrew and city councilman Mark Treyger, who chairs the council’s education committee and has been a vocal critic of the reopening plan. Together, they ran through more than 20 specific issues that the mayor plans to address before opening schools.

“Real concerns have been raised by my colleagues,” de Blasio said.

Watch above, via Fox Business.