New School students, faculty, and staff who were not scouring their emails over the winter break may have missed it, but Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Renée T. White and Executive Vice President for Business and Operations Tokumbo Shobowale have announced that the first two weeks of classes at The New School will be held remotely this Spring. 

The announcement came weeks after on-campus courses and activities scheduled for the Winter Term were abruptly suspended on Dec. 20 due to a recent rise in COVID-19 cases in New York City. Almost one third of all tests have come back positive, according to NYC Health.

The email to students and staff stated that on Jan. 24 all classes will begin online before resuming in-person on Feb. 7, two weeks later. During this time, students will have access to the campus and its resources, including the equipment center and libraries. Practice and rehearsal spaces are open and will follow regular scheduling protocol. Additionally, residence halls will remain open, and new student move-in dates are reportedly not impacted. Dining halls will provide “grab and go” service. 

All students, faculty and staff must receive a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by Jan. 21 in order to return to campus. A negative PCR test is required to be submitted to your Student Health Services portal within 7 days prior to your return to campus. Binx testing is available on campus, and students will be permitted to enter the building to take a test. The school recommends that all students get tested for COVID-19 weekly prior to returning to school. 

The school is scheduled to release more information regarding COVID-19 guidelines and ongoing testing protocols on Feb. 2.