SERINO CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE GUIDANCE FOR SCHOOL REOPENING

HYDE PARK, NY – During the Joint Legislative Public Hearing on the Health/Medicaid portion of the Governor’s Executive Budget Proposal on February 25^th, Department of Health Commissioner Howard Zucker noted that his goal was to have guidance for reopening schools by the following week. It has now been more than two weeks since that hearing, but educators, students and parents still lack guidance, clarity, and any degree of certainty from the State in terms of moving forward with fully reopening schools for in-person instruction. Senator Sue Serino today is calling on the state to release necessary health and safety guidance immediately.

“We cannot begin to effectively reopen New York until we know when students of all ages will have the ability to safely return to school on a consistent, full-time basis,” said Senator Sue Serino. “My office is being inundated with calls and emails from students, parents, and members of the school community who are desperate for answers and a plan, and the state owes it to these families—who have made tremendous sacrifices in the name of public health—to make getting these answers a top priority. Every day that goes by without a clear plan for full-time, in-person education causes additional undue stress for every member of the school community, but especially for our students. As we look toward rebuilding, it is far past time for New York to put the needs of our students first.”

In a letter to the Governor and the Health Commissioner, Senator Serino points out that New York is over a year into the fight against the virus and the state by this point should have a clear picture on the path forward for our school communities.

Serino continued saying, “While maintaining local control is key when it comes to our schools to ensure policies meet the unique needs of our students, the state’s policies have created immense confusion during this time about who even has the final authority to reopen our schools. The state has a duty to put clear guidance forward now—and provide any resources schools may need—to ensure students have the opportunity to safely return to the classroom.”

To read the letter in full, please click here.

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