D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Thursday that she would wait two more weeks before deciding how and if D.C. Public Schools would reopen to students in the fall, saying city officials want to continue monitoring COVID-19 data over the next few weeks to better understand community spread of the virus.

The last-minute decision puts a pause on what Bowser was expected to announce this week: a “hybrid” model that would have students attend school in-person one or two days a week, depending on grade level, and have them learn virtually the other days.

But continuing uncertainty over COVID-19 case trends in the city pushed Bowser to change course suddenly on Thursday morning, shifting the location of her press conference from an elementary school to another government building and delaying it by 45 minutes.

“We need more time to observe what’s happening with the virus,” Bowser said.

If health officials decide it is unsafe to reopen buildings in the next two weeks, Bowser said the school system could shift to an all-virtual opening, as other school systems in the Washington region have done. If the school system decides to offer some in-person instruction, parents could still opt for virtual classes only.

“Depending on health indicators, we could decide that we’re only going to be able to start the school year virtually,” she said. “It may mean we determine the trends we see don’t persist and are able to offer an all-virtual option or a hybrid option.”

Even under a hybrid plan, Bowser said DCPS would not be able to accommodate every family in the system because of staffing and space challenges. If parents opt for a virtual model, they would have to commit for at least a full grading term, which ends in October.

D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis D. Ferebee initially told teachers in late June that fall classes would include virtual and in-person instruction. On Thursday, Bowser said students learn best around their peers and teachers.

“We start with the value that children are better served in their classrooms, and none of us know the impact of having our kids out of school for up to a year. It’s not ideal for learning, both academically and social and emotionally,” she said.

Students in Fairfax County Public Schools and Loudoun County Public Schools also have the option of attending in-person classes for part of the week, a model Bowser said she would like to see DCPS follow.

But D.C. teachers have sharply criticized those plans and said the school system is not ready to safely reopen. This week, leaders in several other suburban school systems in the D.C. region have proposed plans to offer only virtual instruction in the fall.

In Northern Virginia, Arlington County Public Schools Superintendent Francisco Durán proposed starting the school year online, backtracking on earlier plans to provide a mix of virtual and in-person instruction. The Prince William County School Board also voted Wednesday night to start the school year remotely. 

In Maryland, Prince George’s County Public Schools students will learn virtually through at least January. Montgomery County Public Schools officials said they anticipate providing online-only instruction at the beginning of the year, before possibly bringing some students back in-person.

In the District, teachers have increasingly raised health and safety concerns about teaching in-person. The Washington Teachers’ Union circulated a petition, urging Bowser and Ferebee to continue with distance learning. “We all hope to reopen our schools in the fall and return to normalcy. However, with the coronavirus on the rise across our nation, we know that we cannot,” the petition said.

Maya Baum, an elementary school teacher in the District, said she does not feel the school system has adequately addressed safety concerns.

She said it is unclear how many days a week she would be expected to teach in-person or how schools would manage a COVID-19 outbreak. Baum said she would not be able to teach in small groups or comfort a struggling student while maintaining six feet of distance.

“I want to be back in the classroom. I want to be with my students,” she said. “I don’t think it’s worth risking my life. I don’t think it’s risking my students’ lives and the lives of their families.”

Elizabeth Davis, head of the teachers’ union, thanked Bowser for delaying a decision but stressed that many educators prefer having a virtual-only start to the school year. “We cannot place our students, teachers, and communities at risk, without clear protections,” she said in a statement. “The consequences of your decision are not the further loss of learning — which we are deeply concerned about — they are life and death.”

The District is in Phase 2 of reopening, which allows schools to partially open. Under Phase 2, students must remain in the same group of 12, including at lunch and in the restroom, according to guidelines from the Office of the State Superintendent for Education. The guidelines also require 6 feet of distance between each person in a school. No more than 12 people will be allowed in a room at once.

Zachary Parker, a member of the State Board of Education, has called on school leaders to provide only virtual instruction in the fall. In a letter to Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn, Parker said he does not feel the city has not listened to teachers about reopening.

“No one has been able to rule out with all certainty that our students can get seriously ill or die,” Parker said. “Even with the complexities of our present moment, we must prioritize safety, health and life.”

Some teachers and parents may have been relieved to hear that Bowser will wait two more weeks to make a final decision on reopening schools. But one school administrator point to another challenge that will arise from the delay: preparing school buildings and informing parents.

“A delayed announcement essentially means we will have to put together a plan for whatever the decision is last minute,” tweeted Raquel Carson, an assistant principal at Powell Elementary in Petworth. “Our teachers do not deserve this. Our families do not deserve this.”

Bowser offered assurances that there would be enough time to prepare campuses by Aug. 31, when classes are scheduled to start.

“We want to see if that information holds or improves,” she said of COVID-19 trends. “We have two weeks to look at the information and give DCPS time for on-time opening.”