Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Friday that all Kindergarten-12th grade schools and college facilities throughout New York will remain closed for the rest of the academic year and will continue to provide distance learning due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s critical that we protect our students from this virus, and given the current circumstances we are in we do not think it is possible to put the necessary precautions in place that would allow us to re-open schools this academic year,” Cuomo said.
Cuomo said that schools throughout the state will be required to continue meal programs and child care services for essential workers. The state will make a decision about summer school programming by the end of May, according to Cuomo.
“We want schools to start developing a plan to re-open with new protocols that incorporate everything that we are now doing in society and everything that we have learned from this pandemic,” Cuomo said. “This has been a hardship on everyone, but our educators across the state have done a phenomenal job stepping up to make the best of this situation.”
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said she supports Cuomo’s decision to prioritize the health and well-being of families throughout the state.
“I support Governor Cuomo’s decision to keep schools closed until the end of the academic year,” Curran said. “It’s in the best interests of our students, school employees, and families.”
Curran said she has been in contact with Cuomo and discussed “all of the moving parts” to ensure proper preparations and measures are taken when traditional schooling ultimately returns.
Those preparations include the organization of school bus schedules and school bus drivers, providing school nurses with medications for their students, and ensuring school districts have enough cleaning and sanitation supplies.
“We saw that the runway for getting all of these things ready was getting shorter and shorter and I very much support Governor Andrew Cuomo’s decision on schools,” Curran said.
Curran touted the work of Nassau County’s Board of Cooperative Educational Services Superintendent Robert Dillon throughout the pandemic.
“He’s been my lifeline, my pipeline to our 56 school districts and school superintendents,” Curran said. “He and I have had many conversations throughout this pandemic about what’s happening with our schools, what we’re looking for in the future, what do superintendents and parents need. His input has been invaluable.”
Right after hearing the news of Cuomo shutting down schools, Curran said, she called Dillon, who provided a quote which Curran read at her Friday press conference.
“I applaud the governor for using science in making the decision to continue distance learning to the end of the academic year,” Curran said. “We look forward to providing support to our school districts and their families. Working together, schools and parents, and most of all students will prevail in meeting educational standards through this pandemic.”
“Keeping school buildings and colleges closed for the rest of this academic year is the smart choice,” New York State United Teachers President Andy Pallotta said in a statement on Friday. “We also will continue advocating that summer school programming should be voluntary, with decisions on what is right for students made at the local level.”
