It will cover public and private schools’ and will be by region….
The governor has said in the past that school districts and private schools should consult their parents and staffs for feedback…
Cuomo has said before that he would use the infection in regions in his decision…
The states rate is 1%….So is Long Island and New York City…
There will be no nuances within regions, Cuomo said. If a region is shut down for education, all schools must close, both public and private, regardless of whether a school has a relatively small number of students and a large amount of space and can more easily socially distance.
Cuomo said there is a broad range of opinion about the reopening among teachers and parents, with some resisting in-person instruction and others pushing for it.
“You have a spectrum of opinion,” he said. “You have parents who want more in school” and some all remote classes. “There’s no unified parent position.”
He said it is critical school districts speak with parents about their plans to make sure as many as possible are on board and will have their children attend classes.
“The parents … will decide whether or not they are going to send their child and if the parents are going to be the final determination, the parents have to be included in this discussion,” Cuomo said.
If parents and teachers don’t support reopening plans, the decisions from local school districts and the state become “irrelevant,” the governor added.
“If the teachers say, ‘I’m not coming back,’ or the parents say, ‘I’m not sending my child,’ then whatever the school district says is irrelevant,” Cuomo said.
He has previously said he will order reopen schools if the infection level is 5% or lower now, and no more than 9% by the time school starts. New York State’s level, along with Long Island’s, has been hovering around 1% for weeks.
But he warned that with the virus spread increasing around the country, and even in some neighboring states, the infection could spread and increase New York’s transmission rate. “We are not going to open any school unless the viral transmission rate says we have the virus under control,” he said Thursday. “If the viral transmission rate increases significantly, then we will close the schools.”…
image….gothamist.com