BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - What will school look like in the fall?
It's a question no one truly knows an answer to as New York State has not released its guidelines yet for schools. There are still lingering questions over whether or not remote learning will still be an option this September.
"I think in conversation with most of my colleagues, we believe the fully remote option for parents who are uncomfortable sending their children to school is very costly and not in the best interest of children," Michael Cornell, Hamburg Schools Superintendent, said. "The danger to the physical, mental, and emotional health of our school-aged children associated with anything other than being fully, in-person every day is greater than anything presented by the virus itself. School-aged children need to be in school every day. It's developmentally appropriate for them to be in schools every day."
New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio announced Monday there would be no remote option for the 1.1 million students who attend New York City public schools. Buffalo Public Schools, meanwhile, are planning to offer remote learning for the first six weeks as a way to help transition kids back into the classroom by the end of the first quarter.
Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday said there's no reasons schools would not be open in the fall based on the current trajectory of COVID-19 in the state.
"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."
[shortcode-inline-related expand="1" link="/wben/news/local/cuomo-we-have-to-get-back-to-school" headline="Cuomo: "We have to get back to school"" image="/media-library/image.jpg?id=63595700"]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.
There could be an option for some students to continue remote learning, though Cornell said families would need to provide documentation showing that being in school is more dangerous for the student instead of staying home.
"School districts have always, for decades, educated children who are medically-compromised," Cornell said. "We'll continue to do that."
Cornell said he's more optimistic about schools in the fall but wants the state to officially release its guidance in order for districts to better prepare for September.
"We need it in writing," Cornell said. "I appreciate the governor's optimism and agree with him 100%...This is the time for planning for September. Planning for September happens in March, April, May, and June. It doesn't happen much in July and August. The planning is generally done by the time we leave for the school year. We do that because we have all our key people around us."
Cornell hopes the guidelines will be ready by June 4 to give teachers and other staff plenty of time to prepare their classrooms appropriately if there are mask rules and social distancing.
