New York mayor to announce sweeping school integration measures: report

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) plans to announce sweeping school integration measures on Friday, The New York Times reports.

The changes are intended to address concerns that the admissions policies for selective middle and high schools have discriminated against Black and Latino students.

The mayor is expected to eliminate all admissions screens, such as grades and test scores, for middle schools for at least one year, switching to a random lottery to admit students, the Times reports.

The change comes after English and math standardized exams were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and students in younger grades were switched to a system indicating simply if they passed or needed to repeat a class.

The newspaper also reports that de Blasio is planning to eliminate a policy that allows high schools to give admissions priority to students who live closer.

The policy was implemented by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2004, and de Blasio campaigned on ending it. Principals of the most affluent high schools in one district have also pressured de Blasio to get rid of the preference, the Times notes.

The mayor is also reportedly announcing that the city will issue grants to districts for developing diversity plans.

The mayor said in a statement to the Times that the coronavirus pandemic “has exposed longstanding inequities in our city’s public schools.”

“Now, as we rebuild our city, we are expanding opportunities for all public school students and doubling down on our mission to provide a quality education for all, regardless of a child’s ZIP code,” he said.

The Hill has reached out to the mayor’s office for comment.