On Feb. 8, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that middle school buildings would reopen for in-person learning on Feb. 25.

In response, UFT President Michael Mulgrew issued the following statement: 

Under the terms of its agreement with the state, the city has the right to reopen more schools when it has built enough capacity to maintain its strict in-school coronavirus testing standard.

The city has announced that it has created enough testing teams and acquired the necessary lab capacity to reopen middle school grades and buildings. The UFT will be monitoring to ensure that the testing regimen, the presence of personal protective equipment and social distancing requirements are strictly adhered to as new grades and buildings reopen.

These strict standards, and the requirement that buildings close temporarily when virus cases are detected, have made our schools the safest places to be in our communities during the pandemic. They will continue to be the strongest protections for the health and safety of students and staff.