Mayor Promises City Will Send Out Delayed H.S. Admissions Letters Next Week

Mayor Bill de Blasio promised Friday that thousands of New York City public school students will finally learn where they have been admitted to high school next week, ten days later than 8th graders learned last year.

The announcement will relieve, at least in part, the anxiety they and their parents have been feeling these past several days as they have waited expectantly for word on what the next four years will be like. But for some parents who had considered moving their kids out of the public school system if they did not get into one of their top choices, next week will be too late: Thursday was the deadline to put down hefty deposits at private schools. 

Last year's notification date was March 7.

"To all parents, I'm sorry that there's been this delay," said the mayor during his weekly appearance on WNYC's  Brian Lehrer Show. "And I understand because I went through this too with both my kids, but you'll start to get your answers in the course of the week."

Families who signed up to receive electronic notification will receive their letters on Monday, according to education department spokesman Will Mantell. Those who opted to receive a hard copy of the notice will likely get their letters in the mail on Tuesday.

Having a firm date is a relief for the roughly 80,000 students and their families who have been wracked with anxiety over the notification delay. Parents say they have been Tweeting at education officials and calling the department continuously, only to be met with little response or clarifying information. 

Can you actually give us a date? Would be much appreciated by about 80,000 students! Thank you. We have waited long enough.

— FinnYorker 🇫🇮🗽 (@NYTTYTTYY) March 14, 2019

WHEN R U GETTING THE RESULTS

— Navid.R2k5 (@NR2k5) March 15, 2019

"I've been hearing from people, at this point, around the clock," said Elissa Stein, founder of HighSchool411, a subscription service to help New York City families navigate the process of applying to high schools. "I know parents are panicking when I wake up and there's an email from somebody at 3 a.m."

In a statement this week, the education department said it has been keeping families informed about the timing of the offer letters since January. On Thursday, the department sent out another email to families saying that they would receive information about how to view their child's offer letter "when it becomes available next week." The email also provided a link to a video about the high school admissions process.

Education officials have said that the delay can be traced back to a lawsuit filed against the city that sought to stop its proposed expansion of the Discovery Program, a method to increase student diversity at specialized high schools. Opponents of that proposal filed a motion for an injunction, but a judge allowed the city to proceed with its adjusted admissions process on Feb. 25. 

The uncertainty of how the judge would rule in the case caused the city to delay its process for sorting through student test scores and matching applicants with high schools, according to the education department. 

The delay compounded what is often a tremendously stressful process for families, as they wait to find out which high schools their student could attend for the next four years.

"This is a huge deal, and kids understand it," said Stein, who acknowledged that families are also considering how high schools will prepare their students for college. "There's so much invested in this process."