Summer Rising, the city’s free summer school program that is open to all New York City students in grades K–12 —including students with disabilities — will feature a mix of academics, arts, recreation and social-emotional support programs as a bridge to the full reopening of schools in September.

The UFT’s Five-Point Recovery Plan includes extended summer learning programs, and the union had encouraged the DOE not to focus exclusively on academics.

The full-day, in-person programs, which will be available in approximately 700 school buildings throughout the city, will be run by local school leaders and community-based organizations.

“After a year of heroic work on the part of families and schools,” said Schools Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter, “we are embarking on an unprecedented reimagining of what summers need to be.”

As of June 4, 27,000 students had enrolled in Summer Rising, which will begin on July 6, and about 14,000 UFT-represented pedagogues applied for positions.

For the first time, the program for students in grades K–8 will fully integrate academics with the city Department of Youth and Community Development’s enrichment program and will include field trips, arts and outdoor activities. Along with recreation and fun, learning gaps and social-emotional needs will be addressed.

UFT members will work from 8 a.m. to noon, and community-based organizations will run the afternoon programs. The curriculum will be the same as that used during the school year.

For grades K–5, the five-day, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. program will run through Aug. 20. Grades 6–8 will have classes on Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., until Aug. 12.

High schools will design site-appropriate programs to meet the needs of their school communities through July 20, at hours throughout the school day to accommodate each student’s schedule. Students will be able to make up failed courses, complete unfinished work or participate in accelerated programs remotely or in-person, and they will be eligible to play on sports teams. They will also be eligible for the 70,000 paid summer jobs available through the Summer Youth Employment Program.

High schools are reaching out to both mandated students and those interested in enrichment with information about programs.

Rigorous health and safety protocols, including social distancing and mask wearing, will be observed, and every site will have access to nursing support and a telehealth center.