Hudson Valley schools
race to figure out reopening plans as state offers no guidance.
School officials in the
Hudson Valley are drawing up reopening plans after New
York state announced they are not issuing coronavirus guidance for
schools.
Local school
administrators are now figuring out how they are going to handle safety
protocols for the opening of school.
Originally,
media outlets reported that New York’s health department officials said
the state government would issue some form of universal coronavirus safety
guidelines for the school year.
New
York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker then issued a statement,
saying the decision was up to school districts since the pandemic state of
emergency ended.
School
officials in White Plains say they had already started drafting plans,
anticipating that New York would follow Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidance, which calls for five
days of in-person instruction and indoor mask-wearing.
Robert Lowry, of the New York State Council for School
Superintendents, tells
News 12, "There were repeated
statements from state officials that there would be statewide guidance…Local school and county health officials were put on
hold in their own decision making."
White Plains Schools Superintendent Dr. Joseph Ricca says his district is aiming for a five-day school week and has a plan in place.
“All of the members of our school
community will be wearing masks or facial coverings while indoors, we'll have
physical distancing in place where possible," says Dr. Ricca.
Educators we've spoken with say they feel they're in a better position going
into this school year because they now have experience in dealing with Covid
and last-minute changes.