Coronavirus News: New York Schools Closed For The Remainder Of Academic Year

KEY POINTS

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday schools in the state would remain closed for the rest of the academic year
He asked school districts to begin drawing up plans for when schools reopen to ensure the health and safety of students and staff
Nearly 40 states have ordered schools closed for the rest of the academic year due to the coronavirus pandemic

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday the state’s schools and colleges will remain closed for the rest of the academic year as part of efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus. He said given the situation in the state and time of year, there wasn’t enough time to prepare a reopening plan that would keep teachers and students safe.

“The plan has to have protocols in place that incorporate everything that we are now doing in society and everything that we learned,” Cuomo said during his daily coronavirus briefing. These would include outlining social distancing measures and physical protection, like facemasks, which means fewer students and staff present for classes.

While schools will remain closed, remote learning programs will continue through the end of the academic year.

Colleges and universities switched over to remote learning on March 19, and lower grade schools followed suit. The only people who have remained on school campuses are those in need of housing.

Cuomo will make a decision regarding summer school programs near the end of May.

“The decisions on the education system are critically important,” Cuomo said. “We must protect our children. We must protect our students; we have to protect our educators.”

Cuomo’s decision comes nearly a month after he appeared to have a disagreement with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio over school closures.

De Blasio said on April 11 that all schools in New York City would remain closed for the rest of the academic year. However, Cuomo responded shortly after by saying de Blasio didn’t have the authority to order the closures and the decision would be his.

“He didn't close them, and he can't reopen,” Cuomo told reporters.

New York is now one of almost 40 states in the U.S. that have ordered schools closed for the rest of the academic year. A handful of other states have issued closure recommendations, like California, or are waiting for lockdowns to end to decide.

States that closed schools for the rest of the academic year are: