Cuomo gives green light to schools

ALBANY | Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave the green light for any school with an approved plan by the Department of Health to reopen in September during a Friday news conference. "By our infection rates, all school districts can open everywhere in the state," said Cuomo, pointing to every region in the state being below the thresholds we have established. "If any state can open schools, we can open schools, and that is true for every region in the state," Cuomo added. "We have been smarter than any other state as a people in dealing with this. New Yorkers will decide what they are going to do and how they want to do it on a district by district basis." As to how school returns to session, the governor said that would be up to each of the school districts. "They can do in full person school, but it is up to them," said Cuomo. "In-person, hybrid, outdoor, half-day, whole day, it is all up to their discretion." He added the state will still monitor infection rates throughout the state and make adjustments if needed. "We are going to watch the infection rate between now and the day the schools open," Cuomo said. "If there is a spike or matter of concern in the infection rate, then we will readdress it." If schools needed to close to an outbreak or spike in cases, Cuomo said it would be done on a regional basis. District plans presented Cuomo said that out of the 749 school districts in the state, 127 had yet to submit plans to the Department of Health, and an additional 50 plans have currently been deemed to be incomplete on their face or deficient. Those schools will be notified either Friday or Monday to resubmit plans. "Department of Health has the plans and they can disapprove plans if they are not responsible from a health point of view," Cuomo said, adding if a school does not have approved plans, they would not be allowed to reopen. "The DOH will go over the plans more this weekend and inform those schools who need to do more." Plan sections to be posted separately While school districts have posted their reopening plans to websites, Cuomo is asking schools to break out three parts of the plan online: remote learning, testing, and contact tracing. "If a parent has questions on one of those three areas, they can go right to those components than trying to wallow through the entire plan," he said. Remote learning "I am going to ask the school districts to post their remote learning plan to the extent that they are doing remote learning in their district," said Cuomo. "This is a question I have received a lot in regards to remote learning and the equity of the remote learning process." Testing "The question of testing for students and teachers is a high level of concern," Cuomo said. "I want to the school districts to post their testing plans so whenever they talk about testing and how it will be done, there will be easy access because this is what the parents want to know." Contact tracing "If a student tests positive in a class, what is the contact tracing for that positive. Do you test the class? If the student goes to a number of classes, how do you do that? How will the school do contact tracing? Will the school ask the local government or the local health department to do that," said Cuomo. He added he wanted these areas to be broken out from the plan on school websites because they would answer the majority of questions being asked. "I have been deluged by calls to my office from parents and teachers, so I know the bulk of the questions and where they are coming from," he said. Forums mandated Cuomo announced that all school districts must have at least three public meeting sessions with parents by Aug. 21 (at least five in the "big five" districts) and ant least one additional meeting with teachers. "I have been deluged with calls from parents and teachers and there is a significant level of anxiety and concern," Cuomo said. "The issues parents and teachers have are more complicated issue than I think many of (the administrators) appreciate. "They have to communicate with the parents, explain the plan, and answer the questions of the parents. Parent meetings will give schools the cache to address the plan and answer questions, whether done in person or remotely. "Parents need an opportunity to be heard and schools should welcome the opportunity to explain the plan," said Cuomo. He added while teachers should be involved with the parent meetings, there needs to be a session specifically held to answer their questions. "Go through the plan with the teachers and everybody is in one conversation - teachers and administrators — and discuss the plan and discuss concerns together," Cuomo said.

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Cuomo gives green light to schools

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