43°
During his daily news briefing held in midtown Manhattan on Thursday, May 21, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that schools will remain closed through the summer, but “it’s too early to make a determination” on what happens in the fall.
Cuomo cited the new inflammatory disease that has now been diagnosed in more than 150 New York children, teenagers, and young adults as a reason to pump the brakes on determining when students can return to the classroom.
“When it comes to opening up schools in the fall, it’s too early to make a determination,” he said. “We need to get more information on this inflammatory illness that has been infecting children.”
School districts across the state have also been instructed to make plans toward reopening with proper social distancing, busing arrangements, and other preventive measures before the state can fully assess if the education system can relaunch in the fall.
The state is expected to provide districts with specific guidelines next month, and they have then been instructed to come up with a plan by July, and the state will approve it at their discretion before any reopening in September.
“My position (on schools reopening) is that I don’t have a position,” Cuomo said. “I don’t know if they should reopen yet, but we’re getting more information, receiving more data, and we will make a decision on a fall reopening in a timely way.
“We’re telling them to make a plan … tell us how to reduce density in buses, classrooms, cafeterias,” he continued. “Give us those plans by July, and then we can start to make a decision about September.”
Click here to follow Daily Voice Brentwood and receive free news updates.
