NEW YORK — New York City’s Department of Education is closing its high school dance schools and is putting a stop to the rest of the city’s school closings.
The school dance program, which was once a key part of NYC’s cultural fabric, has been temporarily shuttered, according to officials at the department.
We want to be absolutely clear that there is no closure of the school dance programs, and students who were previously in the program will continue to perform at the school, said Daniel W. Fischbach, the city education commissioner.
However, all of the schools are closing, including the school for cosmetology, the school where many of the students are from.
Schools for all of NYC are closed, and the following schools will not be open: * The Center for Creative Arts (Chase Academy, 6th Ave.
and Fifth Ave.
in Brooklyn); * The School of the Arts (the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, 5th Ave., at West 53rd St.; the New York School for the Arts; and the School of Art and Design, 9th Ave, in Manhattan.
“These closures are part of a larger plan to focus on supporting the careers of our educators and creating opportunities for the next generation of young artists,” Fischbacher said in a statement.
This is the third school closure for NYC high schools, which were already closed due to a pandemic.
Last year, the New Orleans City School Board announced it would close all of its public schools, while the San Francisco School Board closed all of their schools, and Chicago closed all its schools.
More recently, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Dance closed, respectively, to promote the new film, The Art of Play.
Fischbbach said he would not be commenting further on the specific school closures.