Several City Council members on Wednesday called on the Department of Education to prohibit the use of screenings for middle school admission for the upcoming school year.

The screens are usually drawn from fourth graders' spring semester, and include grades, state tests score and attendance records.

However, six Council members say the coronavirus pandemic has made those metrics unusable.

They planned to introduce a resolution Thursday asking the education department to suspend the use of screenings, and instead follow the example of Community School District 15. In 2018, that district eliminated admissions screens and implemented a ranked lottery.

Advocates said that system resulted in more integrated classes, with most students receiving one of their top choices.

Around 37 percent of the city's public middle school programs use some form of competitive screening.

In a statement Wednesday, the city education department said, “We will not allow the impact of this pandemic to be unfairly held against students during the admissions process and we must properly account for the unprecedented disruption this pandemic has had in the lives of our children. We thank Councilmember Lander for his advocacy and the many parents, students and educators we heard from during our admissions engagement sessions, and while we chart out the best path forward, we will provide any updates in advance of the admissions cycle starting.”