BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - When asked by reporters on Monday about New York City's decision to reopen schools in the fall with no remote learning option, Governor Andrew Cuomo said kids need to be in school and that based on the current trajectory, there's no reason schools would need to be closed in the fall.
"We're going to set a statewide policy which will govern all school districts," Cuomo said. "...September is relatively a long way away. We follow the science and follow the data. We're not at an all-time low but under 1% unless something dramatic happened that contradicted that. A real change, variant of interest, I don't see any reason why we couldn't open all schools."
Cuomo said remote learning "worked fine enough" for some students but said other students, such as minority households and low-income families, struggled with internet connectivity.
"By no stretch of the imagination is remote learning a substitute for in-class participation," Cuomo said. "There's also a socialization aspect that goes with school. You have students that have lost a year of socialization. If you ask me today, all schools open statewide in September unless there is a dramatic change in the COVID trajectory."
