Trends in COVID-19 School Related Inquiries Using 311 New York City Open Data.

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to assess the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) school-related information New York City residents sought through the 311 Call Center. July to November inquiries were downloaded from the NYC Open Data website for 2018-2020. Calls were categorized as related to "Schools", "Access", "Food", "Hospitals", "Transportation", and "Unemployment". Overall call types, and among school-related calls, detailed call types, were compared over the years, using chi-squared tests. School-related inquiries increased by 71% from 2018 to 2020. During 2020, the most common (49%, n = 22,471) call description was "Coronavirus and Schools", encompassing calls about learning options, safety, and resources. Spikes in these calls corresponded to official announcements, including those about Fall reopening plans (August 31 n = 678; September 1 n = 624) and schedules and staffing (September 16th n = 1043; September 17th n = 713), and after the start of in-person learning (September 21 n = 680). This study demonstrates that as government officials updated NYC schooling plans for Fall 2020, there were increased concerns among NYC residents. Future COVID-19 schooling changes need to be conveyed clearly and disseminated effectively in order to avoid confusion about NYC's pandemic learning strategy and to address health and safety concerns.