Governor Cuomo Says New York Schools Can Reopen
Speaking in a telephone conference August 7, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced all regions in the state are showing coronavirus infection rates low enough to allow schools state-wide to reopen.
The deadline for a decision on reopening districts after schools were shut down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March had been set for August 7. Schools were supposed to have submitted their plans for reopening by July 30.
Cuomo says while all the districts have low enough infection rates to be cleared to reopen, 127 districts in the state have not submitted their reopening plans to the state and over 50 had plans that were not complete.
The Governor says state Health officials will contact those districts with incomplete plans or that have not submitted protocols starting August 10.
Cuomo says he wants district to post specifics of class organization, moving students, remote learning, testing of staff and students, contact tracing and other details online and to have three opportunities to talk with parents before August 21st online. He says he also wants meetings to directly discuss the district plans between teachers and administrators.
The Democrat has said for several days that while the state can give the go ahead for reopening, it will be up to parents to ultimately decide if they want their children to go back to class. He says it's "not a bureaucratic decision but a parental decision."